On the surface, starting over feels like freedom.
You’re shedding your old skin to step into a new one.
Letting go of old haunts, habits, and people to embrace the new.
Rejecting old beliefs and perspectives so you can replace them with lenses that better suit how you want to live your life.
This newness can feel exciting and is often associated with happiness, celebration, and adventure.
But beneath all this positivity, pain and sadness often lurks.
Pain that’s become so heavy and unbearable that you have no choice but to break free from its source so you can lighten the load that’s been threatening to break your back.
Sadness from knowing that it’s not necessarily what you wanted, but have no other choice because you’ve reached a dead end.
It’s sadness that’s come from…
Words that were said that cannot be unsaid.
Things that were done that cannot be undone.
Doors, that once opened, cannot be closed.
It’s become clear as daylight that unless every hand is willing to clap for the better, something or everything has to be different in order for that gaping, bleeding wound in your soul to heal and become whole again.
You can no longer play the role that has allowed what has happened, to happen again.
And so you finally learn to put yourself first.
You realise that you have to put up boundaries to protect your well-being.
You add distance between yourself and the source of your pain.
You change how you think.
You learn healthier, more peaceful ways of being.
You seek out people who nourish your soul.
This is more than a new beginning — you’re also following the trail to greater purpose, meaning and healing.
It hurts, but you know that you will reach the end of the dark tunnel safe and sound.
Parts of you will be broken into pieces, and you will (eventually) put them back together.
And when you do, they’ll come together stronger, making you whole again, and more resilient than ever.
You know that you’ll be just fine.
🍂 THE LEAVES ARE FALLING…
They always do, and seeing them on the ground is a gentle reminder that change is a constant in our lives.
If you’ve been adjusting, shifting and revising parts of your life of late, I want you to know that you’re not alone in this, and that it’s OK to feel sad, excited, lost, scared, happy and relieved — sometimes all of these emotions at the same time.
And these fallen leaves? They make way for new ones to grow, freeing up space and energy for new possibilities to bloom.
Here’s to letting the heavy stuff go, and new beginnings that will bring more light into your life.
-Michele
💌 OUT OF THE INBOX
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