The Blue Cup

[Verse 1]
I kept the chipped blue cup from our first flat
Your father’s laugh still lives inside that crack
I took the long way home through orchard rows
And watched our daughter learn the names of roads
I have been loved in ways I couldn’t plan
I’ve had my turn; I know how lucky I am

[Pre-Chorus]
So why does morning make me count the years?
Why does an open door feel sharp with fear?

[Chorus]
I wouldn’t trade the life I got to live
Not one hard mile, not one more thing to give
But what is waiting past the bend ahead?
I meet the open days with careful steps
I’m glad I came this far, I mean it true
And still, the rest feels strange to walk into

[Verse 2]
The garden leans against the kitchen wall
The plum tree drops its fruit before the fall
Old friends send photographs from far away
Their hair goes silver in the same bright way
I smile and tell them all that I am fine
Then stare too long at next year on the line

[Pre-Chorus]
I’ve made my peace with what I can’t undo
But not with all the room that’s left to move through

[Chorus]
I wouldn’t trade the life I got to live
Not one hard mile, not one more thing to give
But what is waiting past the bend ahead?
I meet the open days with careful steps
I’m glad I came this far, I mean it true
And still, the rest feels strange to walk into

[Bridge]
Maybe the fear is proof I still have plans
A seat to pull out, a hand to understand
A road I’ve never taken, rain or sun
A dozen ordinary mornings left undone

[Breakdown]
I don’t need answers carved in stone
Just let the next day be its own
One more good meal, one window thrown wide
One more hello before goodbye

[Final Chorus]
I wouldn’t trade the life I got to live
The tender years, the things I couldn’t fix
But what is waiting past the bend ahead?
I’ll meet the open days with careful steps
I’m glad I came this far, I mean it true
And I can be afraid and still walk through

[Outro]
The blue cup waits beside the sink
Tomorrow comes before I think