the ghost of who you thought you had to be can cast a shadow even over the widest sky. The shadow of that past self, the one who tried to be everything for everyone, it still LENGTHENS sometimes, even now when things are stable. It's a reminder of how much energy went into that performance, how deeply ingrained the need to over-perform became, and the quiet vigilance it still takes to ensure I'm not slipping back into that exhausting, self-erasing script.