If this week had a theme, it would be clarity—not loud, not dramatic, but gentle clarity. The kind that sneaks up on you in moments you never expect to matter. Here is a memory that shaped my understanding of where I am right now.
This week brought with it a surprising amount of positive reflection. I’d been struggling to find joy in such a fast-moving world that even the simplest moments had begun to feel heavy. But the more days that pass, the more wise I feel—at least in the sense of learning how to exist inside an unpredictable world.
It’s becoming clearer to me that perception is the quiet ruler of everything.
A few days ago, I met a man at the gym. A place often perceived as forbidden fruit—intimidating, surrounded by mirrors and expectation. But it keeps its promises when you let it.
He caught me outside and asked,
“Is it easy living life as yourself?”
I told him the only truth I know: be authentically you, and the rest is a matter of perception.
He paused, then shared that he’s transitioning.
In that moment, I was reminded of how uncertain life is, how none of us really have it figured out. Yet there is freedom—something divine—about living boldly and honestly, not for anyone else, but for yourself.
Perception is reality.
—Lee Atwater
Leave a comment