The Pivot to Peace: A Journey Back to Myself

How Losing Everything Helped Me Find the Woman I Was Always Meant to Be

Whew, chile, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I have to ask—how the hell did we get here so fast? I swear, wasn’t it just summer? This year is moving like it's late for an appointment, and I’m just trying to catch my breath. But as fast as everything’s been moving, life has felt... different. Gratitude, that’s the word on my mind. Not the kind you slap on a Hallmark card, but the real deal—the type you gotta sit with and let wash over you.

Let me tell you about this whirlwind. Picture this: I packed my entire life—furniture, dishes, memories—into storage, and moved in with my friend, her husband, and their two kids. Y’all, do you know how humbling that is? To leave behind everything familiar and step into a space that ain’t your own? No bedroom that smells like home, no kitchen that holds all your favorite coffee mugs. Just me, figuring out how to pivot when life said, “It’s time.”

September? I cried. Ugly cried. October had me mad as hell. And November? I won’t even front—I was embarrassed. How did I end up here? What did I do wrong? The questions played over and over in my head like a broken record. But here’s the thing: each tear, each scream, each moment of discomfort brought me to this place—a place of peace. And let me tell you, sis, I am grateful. Not just for the calm after the storm, but for the storm itself. Because through it, I found me.

This journey has been about stripping down all the stuff I thought I needed—the roles, the expectations, the “perfect” version of myself I was hustling to be. I was playing a character, y’all. Trying to fit into a box I had no business being in. I didn’t like that woman. And if I didn’t like her, who was I doing all this for? I had to let her go.

But now? Now I am in love with the woman I’m becoming. She laughs loudly—like, from the gut—and her smile? It’s contagious. She dances, even when nobody’s watching (and especially when they are), she sings off-key without a care in the world, and she prays out loud, boldly. Joy has replaced the pain and sorrow that I used to carry like a badge of honor.

This journey of self-discovery is everything. I’m talking about the kind of growth where you stop wearing that mask and let your true self shine—glowing skin and all. It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s powerful. This season of gratitude is almost too hard to put into words. It’s that deep, down-to-your-core kind of gratitude. The kind that fills you up and spills over.

So here I am, less than a week away from Thanksgiving, and I can’t stop smiling. Life is still moving, with or without me. And this time? I’m moving with it. Grateful. Peaceful. Me.