I looked exhausted.
But strangely, I didn’t feel broken anymore.
I felt clear.
That was new.
For three years, I had spent so much energy trying to keep everyone happy that I had stopped asking myself whether I was happy at all.
I had become an expert at compromise.
If Margaret complained about dinner, I cooked something else.
If Nathan said money was tight, I worked overtime.
If Margaret criticized my clothes, I changed them.
If Nathan complained that I came home too late, I apologized.
If his mother said I wasn’t spending enough time with the family, I canceled plans with my coworkers.
