Girl at gym

There's a girl at the gym. Her name is Anneka. She's older than me, maybe 40, with grey in her hair and the kind of presence that makes you feel safe just being near her.

She came to my class three days ago. And something shifted.

I caught myself smiling during the difficult part of the lesson. Not forcing it. Actually smiling.

I didn't know I could still do that.

After class, she came up to me and said my voice was calming. That she felt less alone in my class. That she'd be back.

I almost cried. Just from someone noticing that I exist. Just from someone saying that I matter to them in some small way.

This is sad, I know. This is the marker of someone whose baseline is so low that basic human kindness feels like salvation.

But maybe that's where healing starts. With noticing that someone sees you. Not the version of you that you think you should be. But the actual you.