I started taking two capsules every morning.
Week one: Nothing. Still exhausted.
Week two: Slept better? Maybe?
Week three: Woke up one morning and didn't immediately want to go back to sleep. First time in months.
Week four: Had energy past 7 PM. Actually stayed awake through a full movie.
Week six: Sarah was making dinner. I came up behind her, wrapped my arms around her waist.
It felt natural. Like I used to do before everything shut down.
She turned around, surprised. "Hi."
"Hi," I said, and meant it.
That night, for the first time in months, I actually wanted to be close to her.
Not going through the motions. Actually wanting to.
The connection was back. The spark was back. The drive was back.
"What changed?" she asked later.
"I figured out what was wrong," I said. "It wasn't that I wasn't attracted to you. My body just couldn't access what it needed."
Week eight: I felt like myself again. Energy throughout the day. Actually present with Sarah instead of just existing next to her.
Week twelve: Sarah said something while we were getting ready for bed.
"I feel like I have my husband back."
I knew exactly what she meant.
For months, I'd been physically there but not really present.
Now I was back. And I realized how close I'd come to losing something precious.