Rest Beneath the Mask You Wear

The middle of the day is heavy when you have to lift your voice just to sound okay. You answer their greeting, and the word 'good' feels like a stone in your throat.

You smile so they won't ask, so they won't see the crack. But the light does not need your performance to find you.

It sees the effort it takes to hold the mask together. There is a rest that is not earned by sounding happy.

It is already waiting beneath the noise. You do not have to convince the light that you are fine.

It knows the weight you are carrying. It is not asking for a show.

It is asking for the real you, even if the real you is tired. The light shines just as brightly behind the silence as it does behind the smile.