On Letting Go

Finding Wellness After 50: Embracing the World of Self

As I approached my 50th birthday, I found myself reflecting on the journey that brought me here. For most of my life, I had been fully present—mentally, physically, and emotionally—for everyone who mattered most to me. Everyone, that is, except me.

I became a mother as a teenager to a child with developmental delays. I was young, uncertain, and scared—but fiercely determined to be the best mom I could be. Over the years, I fostered a relative I always saw as my own, got married, gave birth twice more, earned my degree, launched a business, got divorced, closed the business, relocated, raised my children, returned to my hometown, and finally reached a place where the house was quiet: I was an empty nester.

What I didn’t expect was how lost I would feel. After years of parenting through both triumph and tears, I had reached a milestone that should have felt victorious—but instead, it felt like grief. The success of my children, while beautiful, also left an ache. I cried often. Not because anything was wrong, but because everything I had worked for—raising strong, thriving, independent children—had actually come true. They were living the life I taught them to go after. But I hadn’t taught myself to do the same.

This was my time. And slowly, I began to step into the world of SELF.

I got my feet wet. I listened—to the silence, to my spirit, to the sound of my own thoughts. And for the first time, I realized something simple but profound: I like me.

I mean, I really liked being with me.

I wasn’t lonely. I had simply never learned how to embrace being alone. I began to find peace in the quiet. I found joy in simple moments. I relaxed—something I had rarely done as a single mom who spent years in survival mode, working tirelessly to provide not just for needs, but for dreams.

And now, it was my turn to dream.

It was time to implement everything I had taught my children:
Take risks.
Try new things.
Explore the world.
Choose joy.
Pick a place on the map, go visit, enjoy it... then do it again.
Leap toward the desires of your heart.

Letting go was not easy—but in that act of release, I found something I didn’t expect: Wellness.

It wasn’t in a retreat, a product, or a social media quote. It was in me. It had been waiting, buried beneath years of self-sacrifice and silent strength.

So to every woman, or man, who has given all of herself/himself to everyone else: your time will come. And when it does, don’t hesitate. Step fully into the space of self-discovery. You may be surprised by what you find.

You may find that you like you, too.