Today

Today, life is quieter than it used to be.

Physically, I’m still recovering. There’s daily pain — mild, manageable, but persistent — and my energy is more limited than it once was. I’m learning to pace myself, to notice fatigue earlier, and to stop before I reach it rather than after.

Psychologically, things feel different too. I’m more attentive to my body and more aware of uncertainty. Not anxious in a constant way, but conscious of it. The future feels less abstract now, and I think about it in shorter horizons than I used to.

Day to day, life looks fairly ordinary. I get up, I do things, I rest more than I once did. Plans are made with flexibility built in. Some days are productive, some aren’t. Both are acceptable.

What I’m not doing is rushing to redefine myself, or to turn this experience into a lesson. I’m not chasing a return to how things were before. That version of normal doesn’t exist anymore, and that’s okay.

Instead, I’m paying attention.

To what I can do.
To what costs more than it’s worth.
To what still feels meaningful, even at a slower pace.

This isn’t a statement of arrival or resolution. It’s just where I am today.

And today, that’s enough.