A softer, slower look at why it’s so hard to let go—and why it’s finally time.

The holidays are approaching, and maybe you’re feeling it too—that mix of anticipation, nostalgia, and a strange ache you can’t quite name.

Every year, I used to sink into the ritual of cooking the full holiday feast. I LOVE to cook. I love everything about it: the slow rhythm of chopping vegetables, the warmth of the kitchen, the familiar scent of sage drifting through the house, even the comfort of knowing we had a full fridge of leftovers.

Those moments held a kind of grounding.
A kind of identity.
A sense of myself.

But life looks different now.

Cooking a feast in an RV is… well, let’s just say my oven has opinions.

Tiny. Uneven. One rack.

Barely room for anything beyond a single dish. Nothing like a real kitchen, nothing like the holiday table I used to create.

So this year, my partner and I will likely order Chinese takeout.
Carry it to the beach.
Eat it with our toes buried in the sand as the sun softens into the water.

Different.
Unexpected.
And honestly, not bad at all.
Just… new.

And that’s the heartbeat of this season for many of us: new, whether we planned for it or not.

When Something in Your Life Doesn’t Fit Anymore

Maybe you’ve been feeling it too—this pull, this whisper under the noise of daily life. Something that once felt solid is shifting. Something that used to fit… doesn’t anymore.

You might not be ready to say it out loud yet, but inside you already know:

A job.
A relationship.
A role you’ve carried for decades.
A version of yourself you’ve outgrown.

It’s become too tight, like wearing a coat that once kept you warm but now feels stiff, confining, wrong.

And here’s the hard part:

We keep trying to make the old version of life work, even after the season has changed.

We keep forcing ourselves into the same routines, the same expectations, the same identity, long after it’s stopped feeling like home.

I’ve done it too—held on too tightly because letting go felt too final, too uncertain, too much like stepping off the edge of a familiar map into blank space.

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Perfectionism Is Often Just Avoiding the Truth

Brianna Wiest says,
“The universe does not allow perfection… Without breaks and gaps, there would be no growth.”

When I first read that, I felt it like a sting.

Because perfection—the idea of doing everything “right,” staying consistent, being dependable, predictable, stable—had become my shield. My way to feel in control. My way to avoid the discomfort of admitting when something was no longer working.

But staying in a life that feels too small…
staying in a role that drains you…
staying in a version of yourself that’s outdated…

That’s not safety.

That’s slow suffocation.

And you deserve better than that.

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Change Isn’t Always Loud—Sometimes It’s a Quiet Turning

Not all transformations are dramatic.
Sometimes change begins like a shift in weather—gentle, almost subtle.

A thought you can’t seem to shake.
A heaviness that won’t leave your chest.
A growing restlessness that keeps you awake at night.
A longing that feels both tender and terrifying.

It’s the sense that life is asking you to loosen your grip.
To soften your expectations.
To shift something inside yourself before anything outside can truly change.

Marcel Proust’s words echo here:
A small change in the weather can recreate the entire world.

The world doesn’t transform.
You do.
And suddenly everything looks different.

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Small Changes That Help You Breathe Again

If you’re feeling the inner season shift, start small.

Not because small changes are insignificant—but

because they’re manageable and they build trust with yourself.

Ten minutes of meditation.
A slow walk under trees.
A cup of tea sipped without your phone.
Standing on your porch and watching the wind move through branches.

These moments create pockets of clarity.
And clarity creates courage.
And courage leads you to the next step.

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Medium Changes That Wake Up the Parts of You That Fell Asleep

Maybe your next step is something slightly bigger:

A night class because you’re curious.
A new hobby because you want to feel alive again.
A once-a-week ritual that reminds you relationships need tending to, not perfect timing.

These are the shifts that bring color back into your world.

They say, “I’m still here. I’m still learning. I’m still growing.”

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Big Changes You’re Scared to Admit You Need

And then, there are the changes that feel like tectonic plates shifting.

Letting go of a draining friendship.
Stepping away from a job that no longer brings meaning.
Moving to a new place, even if it terrifies you.
Choosing your own well-being over other people’s expectations.

These changes ask for bravery.
But staying in the wrong place asks for something even harder: your spirit.

If you are exhausted, numb, resentful, or quietly aching…
something needs to change.

And deep down, you already know what it is.

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The Weather Inside You Is the First Place to Look

Here’s the part most people miss:

You don’t have to wait for your life to rearrange itself.
You don’t need a perfect moment.
You don’t need permission.

Sometimes the shift begins with a simple inner truth:
This no longer fits.

Once you allow that sentence to exist—without judgment, without self-criticism—the weather inside you begins to calm. Your breath deepens. Your vision sharpens.

You start to see the world—and yourself—with honesty.

And honesty is where new seasons are born.

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If You’re Feeling the Pull Toward Something Different…

Please believe this:

You’re not imagining it.
You’re not failing.
You’re not ungrateful.
You’re not too old.

You’re simply changing seasons.

And seasons don’t apologize for turning.

Let yourself unclench.
Let yourself listen.
Let yourself explore what life might feel like if you stopped forcing yourself into an old skin.

Let the old season end.
Let the new season begin.
And if the only thing you can do today is acknowledge that desire for change,
that is enough.

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A Journal Prompt for Your Turning Season

Before you write, sit with Brianna Wiest’s quote:

“The universe does not allow perfection. Without breaks and gaps, there would be no growth.”

Now ask yourself:

• Where in my life am I still trying to be perfect, and what truth am I avoiding by doing so?
• What part of my life has become too small for who I am becoming?
• And what is one small, honest change I am willing to make this week?

Your next season begins with your answer.

And you deserve one filled with room to breathe.