I would sit down.

Not from shock, but from needing to let it land.
To breathe it in.
To feel it settle in my body before it turns into words.

And then — I would call my nearest and dearest.
Because joy, like grief, wants witnesses.
It wants voices on the other end of the line saying “I’m here” and “I’m happy for you.”

Big news doesn’t need fireworks.
It needs grounding.
And people who know your heart.

— Maggie
The Afterlove Voice 💫