You Don't Have to Fix Your Face

The engine is off, but you are still sitting in the dark, staring at the front door. You are rehearsing a smile that doesn't reach your eyes, practicing the version of yourself that can walk inside without collapsing.

The gathering dark knows this weight. It knows the exhaustion of performing okayness for the people who love you most.

But listen — the light does not require your performance. It does not need your smile to be real before it will let you in.

There is a truth that lives in us and will be with us forever, and it is not afraid of your fatigue. You do not have to fix your face before you cross the threshold.

The light is already on the other side of that door, waiting not for your mask, but for you.