Yesterday morning, as I stood bent over my sink, splashing water on my puffy, slightly crusty eyelids, I looked up at the mirror and paused.
I observed my reflection a bit longer than usual.
At first, I noticed what was physically present. A few more stubborn gray hairs in my beard. I swear, when I pull one, five grow back to replace it. A head full of tight, thick black curls now, in contrast to the short, low fade I grew accustomed to. The kind of change you don’t notice all at once. It just accumulates quietly.
But past the surface, I saw something else.
An energetic difference.
My face was carrying less tension. There was a softness around my mouth that I don’t remember seeing before. My eyes weren’t guarded or jaded. They were bright. Not in the naive sense. Just lighter. Like something heavy had finally been set down.
And I realized that this past year didn’t just change my circumst…
