the face in that picture, the one with my jawline and eye shape, felt like looking at someone i used to know very distantly, like a dream i couldn't quite grasp anymore. there was a tightness around the eyes, even in the smile, that just isn't there now, not when the sun is always finding its way in. it's not a sadness, not even a memory that aches, just a real, physical sensation of RELEASE in my own shoulders when i think about it, like a wave finally letting go of the shore.