There’s a rare peace in reaching a stage in your life where everything is chosen, not owed, not required. Where work, love, and rhythm exist only because they feel right and that you choose them so. Life softens when joy becomes the only reason for anything. Gratitude expands in this space, where wanting replaces needing, and joy becomes the compass. I want to, I don’t need to. I choose to, not that I need to —There’s a powerful sense of freedom that comes with it. Beyond that joy is a quiet flutter, peace, calm, and the sweetest freedom, the kind that makes you feel like the richest person in the world.