HER JOURNEY

HER JOURNEY If someone had told me that an ordinary morning would become the beginning of a story I would never forget, I probably would have laughed. Life had a funny way of hiding important moments behind normal ones. A regular morning. A regular day. A regular decision. And then suddenly, everything changes. My alarm rang for the third time, and I stared at my phone like it had personally offended me. “Are you serious?” I whispered. The alarm, unfortunately, did not care about my feelings. I dragged myself out of bed and looked around my room, already regretting the fact that I had stayed awake longer than I should have the night before. That was one thing about adulthood nobody warned me about. There was always something. Work. Bills. Responsibilities. And somehow, sleep was always the first thing sacrificed. I got ready for the day, moving around my apartment while trying to convince myself that I was fully awake. I wasn’t. But I looked like I was, and honestly, that was enough. Before leaving, I stopped in front of my mirror. For a moment, I just looked at myself. The girl staring back at me looked familiar, but she also looked different. She wasn’t the same girl who had once needed someone to tell her everything would be okay. She had grown. She had learned. She had survived things she never thought she would have to face. My blue eyes stared back at me, carrying memories I rarely talked about. Losing my parents. Growing up with my grandmother, the woman who became my home and my biggest support. Losing her too. Those moments changed me. They taught me how to stand on my own, even when I wished I had someone standing beside me. I gave myself a small smile. “Okay, Leah,” I said. “You can do this.” A little encouragement never hurt anyone. Especially when it came from yourself. I grabbed my bag and checked the time. “Great,” I muttered. “Running late. Because apparently being responsible is not enough. You also have to be responsible on time.” I laughed quietly at myself before walking out the door. Another morning. Another day. Another chance to figure things out. I had no idea that this day would become the beginning of something.