I am not the hero.
Not the villain.
Not the victim.
Not the survivor.
I have been each of them, just in different stories.
In someone else’s telling,
I was the villain.
I accept that.
Not every story ends in redemption.
Not every mistake earns forgiveness.
Life is not clean.
It blurs at the edges.
I am not the best.
There will always be someone ahead.
What I can answer for is simpler:
Am I more honest than I was?
More disciplined?
More aware?
Yesterday cannot be undone.
Tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Today is where the work is.