09/22/2026
We carry so many versions of us inside,
some easy to show and some harder to hide.
A smile for the room, a script for the day,
a practised little line when we’re unsure what to say.
We learn how to mingle, to bend and adapt,
to tidy the edges and keep things well wrapped.
We shuffle the background, straighten the view,
and sometimes forget there was more we could do.
Then life, with its curious habit of change,
can muddle the script and rearrange the stage.
A curtain goes sideways, a costume comes loose,
and suddenly perfection has far less use.
The parts tucked away neatly come dancing back in,
the laughter, the spark, the wild little grin.
The depth, the opinions, the oddness, the flair,
all asking politely for more room in there.
And maybe that’s lovely, to soften control,
to leave a bit more room for the whole of the soul.
To speak a bit clearer, to laugh when we fall,
and stop trying so hard to manage it all.
We can still be thoughtful, still kind, still aware,
still notice the people and make room with care.
There’s space for our own voice and space for theirs too,
with fewer old scripts deciding what we should do.
So maybe our lives don’t need to be complete,
there’s magic in moments that aren’t quite so neat.
A little less polished, a little more true,
with room for each changing version of you.
Writer: Elaine Byrne
Artist: Janice VanCronkhite
💛✨️❤️✨️💙
