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Progress is not something I find is easy to define, let alone getting this sentence out.

A cursory search yields the definition "forward or onward movement toward a destination".

But what is progress in the context of "human progress"?

Perhaps that is something rather subjective.

What is considered progress for all of humanity is surely up to the person speaking.

In this context, that person is me.

And, in this context, progress is what I have always viewed would lead to the best in me.

So when I consider how I define progress, I find it hard to define.

What I have considered to be progress has evolved over time.

When I was a baby, progress meant getting across the floor.

When I was a child, progress meant learning how to tie my shoes.

When I was a teenager, progress meant getting a driver's license.

When I was a college student, progress meant getting a degree.

When I was a young adult, progress meant getting a promotion.

When I was a burnout, progress meant getting through the next day.

When I was depressed, progress meant taking care of myself.

When I look at myself today, progress means viewing the previous line as progress.

Progress is not afforded to you if you cannot take care of yourself through the journey.

Progress is not something that is held up by self care.

Progress is not the opposite of self care.

Progress is in fact what is enabled by how well you care of yourself, and therefore others.

And that, my friends, is progress.