There are seasons where softness feels far away.
The body learns to brace. The voice becomes careful. The heart measures how much it can show.
Then, slowly, something begins to loosen. A breath reaches deeper. A room feels safer. A sentence becomes possible. The face softens before the mind understands why.
Softness can return in small ways. Through rest. Through honesty. Through being believed. Through a hand on the chest. Through the relief of having nothing to prove for a moment.
When softness returns, it may feel unfamiliar at first. Give it time. Let it sit beside you. Let it remind you that protection had a purpose, and gentleness can have a place too.
Written by
Eman Ellul