Today, I found myself staring at a photo of my book on a billboard in Times Square.

Even typing that sentence feels strange.

If you've followed my journey for any length of time, you know this wasn't part of some grand master plan. I didn't set out to become an award-winning author. I certainly didn't set out expecting to see my face in the middle of New York City.

What makes this moment so surreal is knowing where it all began.

When Getting Out of Bed Is the Hardest Part was born during one of the darkest periods of my life. It came from grief, depression, addiction, loss, and the exhausting effort of trying to survive days that felt impossible. There were moments when simply getting out of bed felt like an accomplishment. There were moments when I couldn't imagine a future much less one that included writing books, speaking about resilience, or standing beneath a billboard in Times Square.

And yet, here we are.

The truth is, this moment isn't really about a billboard.

It's about what can happen when we keep going.

It's about choosing one more day when giving up feels easier.

It's about taking the pain we never asked for and somehow finding a way to create something meaningful from it.

When I wrote that book, I hoped it might help a few people feel less alone. That's it. I wasn't thinking about awards. I wasn't thinking about recognition. I wasn't thinking about New York City.

I was thinking about the person sitting on the edge of their bed wondering how they were going to make it through the day.

The fact that those words resonated with enough people to earn an International Impact Book Award is still something I'm trying to process. The fact that the journey has now led me to Times Square feels almost unbelievable.

Mostly, I feel grateful.

Grateful for every reader who trusted me with their story after reading mine.

Grateful for every person who shared the book with someone they love.

Grateful for the opportunities that continue to appear because people connected with words written during some of the hardest moments of my life.

I don't know exactly what comes next. If the last few months have taught me anything, it's that life has a way of taking us places we never expected.

But for today, I'm allowing myself to pause and appreciate this moment.

A book born out of depression, grief, and survival somehow found its way to the Big Apple.

And that's something I never saw coming.

— Teri Busse