Set it down for one breath

There’s something you’ve been carrying so long it has started to feel like part of your body. An apology that never came. A door you didn’t take. The person you were sure you’d be by now.

You don’t have to put it down tonight. Most advice about letting go is written by people who forgot how heavy the thing was while they were still holding it.

Try something smaller. Set it down for one breath — the way you’d set a bag down at the door. Not because you’re done with it. Because your shoulder needs a moment. Pick it back up after, if you want. It will still be there.

But now you know something you didn’t: your hand can open. Some nights, that’s the whole practice.