~ Becca ~
Change didn’t announce itself.
It didn’t arrive with fireworks or a dramatic moment where I caught my reflection and gasped. It crept in quietly, like most permanent things do. In the way my jeans loosened before I noticed my waist in how stairs stopped feeling like an argument between my lungs and my pride. In how my body recovered faster, asked for less forgiveness afterwards.
But the real shift wasn’t physical.
It was mental.
I stopped negotiating with myself.
Before, every decision came with an internal debate. Should I go to the gym or rest? Should I eat this or compensate later? Should I speak up or let it slide? My mind used to feel crowded, noisy, full of voices that weren’t actually mine but had taken up long-term residence.
Stephen’s voice had been the loudest.
