The monitor went dark and for a second I saw someone looking back at me and thought: who is that. It took a moment. Three seconds at least. I was genuinely confused before my brain caught up and told me that was my own face. I sat with that for a while after. Not in a dramatic way, just sitting there thinking: how long has it been since I looked at myself without a filter. Without fixing the light or picking the angle. Just the monitor glass, no warning, and I didn't recognize myself.

I take photos of my face and I know every trick that makes them look the way I want. Chin slightly down, light from the left, soft focus for the tiredness. The real version of me is the one I've been hiding from. I've gotten so good at the curated version that the un-curated one is surprising now. How often do you see your own face without preparing for it first? When's the last time you looked and just let it be what it was?