What if we don’t need it anymore?
I was walking in the woods when I came across an old golf cart, an old boat, and all kinds of things that had clearly outlived their usefulness.
And it got me thinking about us.
What about the stories we’ve carried? The beliefs we’ve held onto? The masks we learned to wear?
When I was about five years old, my family moved from the country to the city. I wanted to take one of our baby chicks with me, and when my dad said no, I cried.
I don’t remember what he said after that. But I remember the look on his face. Whether he actually said, “Stop crying,” or not, that’s what I heard.
In that moment, I learned to stuff my feelings and put on an “I’m OK” mask.
And that mask wasn’t really about pretending everything was perfect. It came from fear.
As a child, a teenager, and even a young adult, all my dad had to do was give me that look—his teeth gritted as if he were holding back his anger—and I would cry.
I loved my dad. And I was afraid of him.
Both were true.
That “I’m OK” mask served me many times. It helped me navigate something I didn’t yet know how to navigate.
But today, I don’t need it anymore.
What story, belief, or mask has outlived its usefulness for you?
Sometimes growth is simply recognizing what no longer serves us—and choosing to let it go.
Awaken. Activate. Expand
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