When You’ve Waited Too Long
Hope can be beautiful. It can carry us through the darkest nights. But when it comes to relationships, hope can also be the very thing that keeps us stuck.
The Grief No One Talks About
The hardest part of letting go isn’t always the person. Sometimes it’s the version of yourself who stayed too long. The woman who minimized her needs. Who stretched and compromised. Who clung to the belief that things would change, even when all the signs said otherwise.
As I once wrote on this site: “There’s a kind of grief no one prepares you for: the grief of realizing you lost yourself in someone else.” That grief is real. And acknowledging it is part of the healing.
Saying Goodbye to Her
I had to say goodbye to that version of me. To honor her, thank her for trying, and then let her rest. She did her best with what she knew. But she isn’t the one I want steering my life anymore.
Releasing the Future
Hope ties us to imagined futures. To the belief that if we just hang on a little longer, things will shift. But a future built on waiting is a future that never arrives. Releasing that imagined future is painful — but it’s also freeing. It clears the space for a life built on what is real.
Choosing Myself
In laying down the hope, I picked myself back up. I began rebuilding in small ways: creating boundaries, rediscovering my voice, saying yes to myself. Hope no longer held me hostage.
✨ Takeaway: Letting go isn’t just about someone else. It’s about grieving the version of yourself who waited too long — and reclaiming the freedom to live for what’s real today.
