Chapter 3: The Uniform Shield
Today started as a bit of a battle. If I’m being completely real with you, I woke up with a heavy, uninvited guest: Anger. My mind was just a clouded mess, and I wanted nothing more than to drop everything. I kept thinking, “If I could just meet a friend and vent, maybe then I could start.” I was waiting for a "push" from someone else just to get me moving. I finally rolled out of bed at noon, and that’s when the reset started. I went straight to the kitchen to brew my chai—it’s the only thing that actually gives me real energy. While the tea was simmering, I started cleaning the utensils. There's something grounding about it; seeing the space become clean made the anger start to fade. By the time I took that first hot sip, I was actually feeling happy. Even the weather is playing along today—it’s not too cold anymore, and that bit of warmth makes everything feel so much less heavy. It hit me then—how long am I going to let my progress be a hostage to other ...