Buy the Cabbage Patch Kid

Gabriela Holt
Jun 2
3 min read

*This is her. The little girl who knew how to be good, how to be patient, how to want things quietly. This one's for her — and for yours.*

June is here — and so is something I've been sitting with for a while.

I keep noticing a pattern. Online, in sessions, in conversations with brilliant people

who have so much to say and so little permission to say it. This one's for them.

This one's for you.

And if you've been waiting for a sign to finally show up out loud — consider this it. 💜

Picture her.

A little girl, nose pressed against a cold department store window. Inside, sitting

under a spotlight like it's the most important thing in the world, is the Cabbage

Patch Kid she's been writing Santa about for months. She knows exactly what she wants. She can see it right there. But she doesn't ask.

Because the last time she asked for something, she was yelled at. Or ignored. Or told "you don't need that."

So she stands outside. Watching. Wanting. Shrinking.

IS IT ME, OR ARE THERE A LOT OF VOYEURS OUT THERE?

I'm noticing a trend — and I say this with love, because I've been her too.

People scrolling through social media with one eyebrow raised. Watching someone else post boldly, speak freely, celebrate themselves out loud — and instead of being inspired, feeling that quiet sting. The eye roll. The "must be nice." The like button tapped and immediately forgotten.

That's the window. And you're standing outside of it.

Scrolling but not posting. Agreeing but not commenting. Watching the conversation happen without ever pulling up a chair. Shrinking yourself while someone else takes up exactly the space you wish you could.

Here's what I want to say to you, gently and directly:

That is the equivalent of that little girl standing at the window instead of walking

through the door.

SOMEONE DIMMED YOUR LIGHT. YOU DON'T HAVE TO KEEP IT DIM.

It didn't happen all at once. It never does.

It was the parent who said "you don't need that." The boss who talked over you. The partner who made you feel like too much. The classroom where you had the right answer but kept your hand down just in case.

Little by little, the light gets snuffed — and the worst part? You didn't even know

it was happening.

But here's the thing about lights. They can be reignited.

If you are not taking the chance to leave your mark — what's the point?

Say the thing. Post the thing. Share the win. Celebrate yourself in the comments,

in the room, out loud. Who cares if no one likes it, comments, or reshares it?

YOUR VOICE MATTERS. YOU MATTER.

And little you deserves the Cabbage Patch Kid.

NOW — A GENTLE CALLOUT FOR THE OTHER SIDE.

If you ARE speaking up online but going completely silent in real life — let's talk.

Because real-life human connection is not optional for your mental health. The DMs, the posts, the carefully curated captions — they matter, AND they are not a substitute for being seen in a room, heard in a conversation, valued by people who are physically present with you.

Don't let anyone — including your own fear — convince you that you don't matter

enough to show up IRL.

You do.

Be authentically, unapologetically YOU.

It's never too late. And if you've read this far?

It's time.

And this Friday, June 5th — a new episode of Golden Hour Whispers drops.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel...so you don't miss it.