A candle gives light by using itself up. That’s beautiful until there’s nothing left. Rest is allowed.

Spending yourself for other people is genuinely beautiful and genuinely finite. A flame exists by consuming what holds it up, and the warmth is real, and so is the shortening. There is a point where generosity stops being a gift and becomes a slow disappearance that nobody asked for. Rest is not a reward you earn after running out. It is part of how the light keeps going.

Block out a few hours this week where nobody gets anything from you. Say no once without a long explanation, and notice that the people who care about you survive it.