Grow toward the light you have

Self compassion · Little Light original

The plant on the windowsill does not grow evenly. One stem leans farther than the others, reaching for the narrow place where morning enters. You turn the pot and notice the shape you once thought untidy is simply a record of where light was available. People carry similar shapes. A season of caring for someone may have bent your schedule. A difficult year may have made you quieter, more cautious or protective of your energy. Not every change is evidence that you failed to grow correctly. Sometimes it shows how faithfully you kept finding what helped you continue. You can offer yourself better conditions now without scolding the form you took before. Move closer to the window. Rest a tired branch. Make room for a new direction. Growth does not have to erase the story of adaptation in order to be beautiful. Be gentle with the parts of you that leaned. They were not ruining the shape of your life. They were reaching, with what they had, toward the light.

Little Light