I practiced with cooking videos and radio stations and, eventually, with real conversations I’d overhear at the grocery store, standing a little longer than necessary in the coffee aisle just to test myself.
There was something quietly satisfying about it, even when it was hard.
Then, a major life shift changed our entire world.
The first year of parenthood arrived and rearranged everything.
Our daughter was born 14 months into our marriage, and I don’t have a clean or graceful way to describe what followed. It was just hard.
It felt like I was doing everything wrong. I remember whole weeks that felt like I was moving through water.
I thought I was suffering completely in the dark.
I thought I got through it mostly on my own. That I had been quietly strong when strength was required.
But I had no idea.
