Soft Wealth

We were taught to chase,

to sprint toward numbers

as if they could hold us.

But money, like meaning,

asks to be understood

before it’s spent.

A budget is not a cage—

it’s a map drawn in pencil,

with room for detours

and days we need rest

more than returns.

Debt is a story,

not a shame.

It speaks of choices made

when we were younger,

braver, or simply surviving.

We listen,

then rewrite.

Financial literacy is not loud.

It’s the quiet act

of checking the account

before the impulse,

of asking,

“Does this align with who I’m becoming?”

It’s knowing that wealth

is not just what we earn,

but what we keep,

what we share,

what we protect

when no one’s watching.

So we learn—

slowly, gently—

to name our needs,

to honor our limits,

to build a life

where money serves

but never defines.