Second cheesiest
'Discovering yourself' — could I have chosen anything more cheesy?
‘Discovering yourself’ — could I have chosen anything more cheesy? Well, maybe “finding yourself” is worse. So I guess we’re working with the second-cheesiest phrase in the self-help universe.
Still, that’s what this is about.
Not the Insta-quote version of self-discovery. Not the one where you go to Bali and drink green things while your inbox explodes in another country. I’m talking about the slow, quiet, sometimes jarring process of meeting yourself again—while watching your kid play a sport you used to play, trying to flesh out a dating profile, or watching your reflection age in real time during Teams meetings.
This Substack is where I’ll be writing about motherhood and identity in midlife. It’s also where I’ll be sharing pieces of my book—stories, essays, fragments I wrote in during nap time (his, not mine) or when I finally found 40 minutes to myself and chose to write instead of watching nostalgic 90s TV shows.
My hope is that if you’ve ever felt like you lost the thread of who you are—somewhere between the birth plans and the school drop-offs—this space, and the community we will build here, helps you trace your way back. Or forward. Or sideways, depending on the day.
Thanks for being here. Let’s begin.
P.S. Please debate me in the comments if you think it’s only third or fourth-worst. I’m thinking maybe “live your truth” is up there - I mean, I’d love to live in a world where the orange man doesn’t exist, can that be true for me?