On growing up

Nobody tells you that growing up happens in the quiet moments. Not the milestones. Not the big decisions or the landmark birthdays.

It's the day you stop needing the last word in an argument. The day someone is rude to you and you feel sorry for them instead of angry. The day you let someone be wrong and just walk away — not because you're a pushover, but because your peace matters more than being right.

Those moments don't announce themselves. You only notice them looking back, when you realise you handled something the old you never could have.

That's when you know something has shifted. Quietly, without fanfare, you became someone a little more whole.