Change is inevitable

I fell hard in my twenties for the guy who was the life of the party. He was fearless, magnetic, and the person everyone wanted by their side. He could light up a room just by walking into it—and honestly, I loved that about him. We were young, wild, and full of big dreams. We stayed up too late, drank too much, and laughed louder than anyone else.

But that was then.

Now, two decades later, I watch him stumble through karaoke, drunk and loud at family gatherings, and all I can feel is secondhand embarrassment. What once felt electric now feels immature. I’ve changed. I’ve grown. That behavior doesn’t match the woman I am anymore—and it hasn’t for a while.

Does that make me wrong for changing? Or is he stuck in the same version of himself that he never outgrew, some sort of arrested development.

The truth is, change is everywhere. It’s part of everything we do. From the music we blast in the car to the people we admire, the foods we crave, the causes we support—everything evolves. And that’s not just normal—it’s healthy. Growth is how we stay connected to who we are. Staying the same for years might sound stable or loyal, but it can quietly lead to disconnection, dissatisfaction, even a kind of invisible suffering. If we’re not changing, we’re not really living.