To the extent I had left my job,
I expected to feel relief.
No alarms. No deadlines. No meetings.
But after the cake was slivered
and the emails stopped,
I was left with a quiet question in my head:
What am I when no one needs me?
I was defined by what I did
the work, the routines,
the people who depended on me.
And then, all of a sudden… it just stopped.
The silence wasn’t peaceful……
….It was deafening.
The days blurred, soft, formless.
I wasn’t sure what to do with myself.
I tried hobbies. Books. Walks.
But the ache wasn’t boredom.
It was purpose.
No one talks about this part.
The mourning of structure.
The identity crisis.
The invisible slide from “essential” to “optional.”
Some days, I felt guilty,
like I was supposed to be having fun.
But joy does not blossom without meaning.
It expands when we feel useful, connected.
It didn’t happen all at once.
One afternoon, I helped a neighbor in their garden.
Another day, I shared a story at a local gathering.
I took in a cat who now follows me like a shadow.
Every little act sewed up something
I hadn’t even known was torn.
Losing purpose isn’t the end.
It’s an invitation.
To redefine meaning.
To put pen to paper and write a new chapter
not with deadlines,
but with desires.
We stop counting when we stop working.
But we don’t stop mattering.
We just start to matter differently.
If you’ve ever asked,
“What now?” in the mirror
you’re not alone.
Let’s talk. Let’s connect.
Because purpose isn’t lost.
It’s only waiting for us to come home to it.
Meet your tribe.
Join Life Minus Work today!
