it is an unwritten rule of life that after every prolonged period of hardship and uncertainty, there is going to be a period when you are going to achieve quantum leaps across multiple areas of your life. the only requirement is that you do not give up on yourself
I saw a woman on TikTok say she was a "good girl" her whole life. Did everything the "right" way. Followed the rules. Kept the peace. Put everyone else first. Now she's in her 40s and said all she feels like she has to show for it is grief and a lot of built-up anger. And honestly, as a woman, I felt that deeply. Because nobody really talks about how being the "good girl" often benefits everyone around you except the actual good girl. Everyone else gets the patience, the understanding, the sacrifice. And she's the one left realizing she spent years shrinking herself just to keep everyone else comfortable.