leyzays
Illustration: An old heavy leather suitcase left on a wooden bench at a quiet provincial train station, a woman with long wavy dark hair walking away lightly holding a single flower.

Letting go

Put it down. You've carried it long enough.

Some of us are carrying things that were never ours to carry. A parent's disappointment. An old friend's version of who we are. A mistake we already paid for, years ago.

We carry them so long they start to feel like part of our body. We forget we can set them down.

You don't need anyone's permission to put the suitcase on the bench and walk away lighter. You don't need to unpack it first, or understand every single thing inside it. Sometimes you just decide: this is heavy, and I'm done.

Leave it there. Take a flower instead.