Serendipity

The one thing I’m beginning to understand more than ever is the importance of never losing yourself.

As I’ve gotten older and faced the trials and tribulations of life, I’ve come to realize how quietly dangerous life can be. We give ourselves—our time, our energy, our identity—to the people we love. Our children, our partners, even our work. And it feels noble. Purposeful. Fulfilling.

But what happens when those things are no longer the center of your life?

Everything and everyone grows. Children grow up. Relationships evolve. Jobs end or shift. And suddenly, what once defined your purpose… doesn’t anymore.

You have to learn to let go of the reins. And in doing so, you’re forced to ask—who am I without them? What are you if your job no longer defines your identity? If the people who once needed you no longer depend on you in the same way?

You’re left with the life you put on pause. And in that stillness, you have no choice but to confront the loneliness that lingers beneath it all.

When you’re no longer defined by the title—when you realize the title was only ever meant to walk beside you, not become you—this is the dilemma many suffer through in silence.

So ask yourself:

Who are you?

What remains when everything you once were no longer exists?