Day 14: Joy Is Allowed, Even When You’re Still Healing

Featuring the artwork: Softly, She Smiled Again

There’s a strange pressure in the world of healing—a quiet message that whispers: not yet. Not until you’re stronger. Not until you’re fully recovered. Not until you’ve earned it. Joy, we’re told, is something you get after the pain is over.

But what if that’s not true?

Even in the midst of healing, joy finds its way through—soft as petals, quiet as a breath, yet unmistakably present. Softly, She Smiled Again was created as a reminder that we are allowed moments of color, peace, and even delight while still mending. Joy doesn’t need perfection—it only needs permission.

When I painted this piece “Softly She Smiled Again”, I was still carrying emotional and physical weight from the past few years. Recovery is not a straight line—it loops, rests, stutters, and surprises. And yet, while moving paint across the canvas, something shifted. I wasn’t trying to make sense of anything. I wasn’t trying to be profound. I wasn’ttrying to create something to sell. I was simply allowing beauty to speak—and it did.

I reached for pinks and blues, for movement and softness. Midway through, I realized I was smiling. Not with fanfare, but with the quiet honesty of someone remembering what joy feels like. It didn’t mean the hard parts were over. It meant joy was possible within them. As I write this post, my left foot is throbbing in pain. But, I finished the painting above and love it 🥰

To everyone walking the winding path of healing: you do not have to wait. You don’t need to justify your joy. You are allowed to feel peace, to laugh, to celebrate, to paint in pink—even if your heart still carries heaviness, even if you're in pain. Joy is not a betrayal of your struggle. It’s a sign you’re still here.

Still alive.

Still blooming.

Softly, but surely, smiling again.

Reflection Prompt:

Think back to a recent moment of joy—no matter how small—that surprised you in the midst of struggle. What did it feel like? Did you let yourself fully experience it, or did you brush it aside? What might it look like to welcome more of those moments into your healing process? Share with me. I await your response. 🥰

In loving joy,

Michelle Joy Brown Your Artist Friend 🧡

Your financial support really does go towards helping this artist purchase supplies to continue painting and entering exhibitions as well as selling art. I'm a full-time artist now, all monies I earn supports my continued journey.

Thank you for your support and love. 🥰🥰

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