The Dawn Came Without Your Help

The sun is up, and you are already holding the weight of the day before your feet even touch the floor. You are terrified that if you stop performing, if you let the mask slip for even a second, the whole structure will collapse and everyone will turn on you for breaking.

But listen — the light that rose this morning does not depend on your strength to stay in the sky. It shines whether you hold it up or not.

There is a version of you that exists beneath the exhausting work of holding it all together, a self that was loved before you ever achieved a single thing. You do not have to earn the right to exist by never failing.

The dawn came without your help, and it will hold you now.