01/02/2026
I hope the next chapter meets me gently.
Not without challenges. Just without constant resistance.
I hope my nervous system finally understands that it is safe to rest.
That not every quiet moment is a warning.
That peace does not mean something bad is about to happen.
I hope my days feel spacious instead of rushed.
That I move through them without carrying old conversations in my chest
or rehearsing endings that never come.
I hope I wake up feeling present in my body
and fall asleep knowing I did the best I could with what I had.
I hope joy returns in simple ways.
Unforced laughter.
Moments that feel warm instead of earned.
I hope I stop gripping what is already trying to leave.
People.
Stories.
Versions of myself that were built for survival, not happiness.
I hope the memories that still sting soften their edges.
Not erased.
Just no longer in control.
I hope I stop explaining myself to people who were never meant to understand me.
And I hope I choose myself without needing permission.
Most of all, I hope I forgive myself.
For staying when I was scared to go.
For loving deeply.
For enduring what I thought I had to.
I do not want to spend another year proving my strength.
I want to experience ease.
I want to live, not brace.
And I hope the next season meets me there.
Deanna Byrne ❤️