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Breaking the Cycle. Finding Clarity and Purpose at 35

Escaping the mundane routines that no longer serve me, and embracing a life of intention, joy, grief — and everything in between.

Michelle Love
6 min readSep 25, 2024

I took a break from writing not because I didn’t have anything to write about, but because I am still trying to figure out how to write about the things that I feel are worth sharing.

I turned 35 in August, and I’ve never cared about birthdays. I’ve always felt younger than I should be, because of the way I grew up and the fact that I moved out when I was 15 and had to work and fight for respect. I have always looked forward to being older so people would take me seriously, sometimes I would lie about being older than I was, so I could gain a bit more respect.

I was always chasing an older number, that would match the age that I felt, however — this was the first year where that flipped for me.

This was the first year where I felt like I should be younger than my actual age. How am I suddenly 35? How did that happen?

I know I’m not the only one who went through the weird pandemic time warp, but it was more than just that. It was compounded by the fact that I spend 4 years in an abusive relationship, and it really fucked me up.

Actually, the truth is, I still can’t fully admit how much it fucked me up, but I’m getting there.

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Michelle Love
Michelle Love

Written by Michelle Love

My public journal about all the things I’ve been through & learned - with the hope that it benefits you. 🤍 Love is the answer

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