I noticed the urge to reduce myself and let it pass through without obeying

Dear Delyara, That is the change. The urge still came. To soften too much, explain too soon, take up less room, make the room easier for others at my own expense. But I didn’t follow it automatically. I think that’s what growth often looks like now — not the disappearance of the old reflex, but the breaking of its monopoly over behavior. This week, I felt that break.