Toward the Sun

Toward the Sun
I am not the woman I was
when the world felt sharp
and every doorway demanded proof.
I am softer now,
but not smaller.
I wake with light on my hands.
Even on quiet days
there is warmth in the kettle,
music in the ordinary.
I have learned how joy hides
in unimportant places:
a laugh that surprises me,
the way morning forgives the night,
the simple truth
that I am still curious
about what comes next.
I carry my past like a folded map.
It shows where I’ve been,
not where I must return.
I love now with steadier breath.
I choose myself without apology.
I rest when I need to.
I bloom without asking permission.
There are days I feel almost weightless,
not because nothing hurt,
but because I no longer live there.
I am here.
I am laughing again.
I am growing toward the sun
in my own, unrushed way.
And that,
quietly,
is happiness. 🌼💛