The Invisible Line
Reimagining before and afters
How many times have you stood up and shouted — mentally or aloud — that, “Today is the day I’m going to change my life?”
Maybe it’s in the form of taking a before photo, with the promise of eating cleaner, moving more, and taking your supplements — all in the name of losing weight one day.
Maybe it’s meeting a new friend or partner — someone that feels like they’ll be in your life for a reason, a season, and a lifetime — and thinking, “This is the one.”
Or, maybe, it’s finishing a book and instantly proclaiming, “this book changed my life” in a written or spoken review.
For me, at least, the moments I announce or anticipate a big change aren’t the ones that actually lead anywhere. Most of the time, the invisible line that differentiates before and after appears out of nowhere.
Publishing a very personal letter on Medium (seen by few) kicks off a book publishing journey.
Giving myself permission to grieve someone I’d never met allows me to come to terms with my own death.
Saying a mental “so what” to entertaining my in-laws is the catalyst for healing my eating disorder.
Removing myself from a group chat leads to the discovery that, “you know what? I am really, truly okay by myself.”
In the moment, I had no idea the acts above would change me. I only saw the impact when I gave myself permission to look backwards and ask, “what caused that?”
Who knows if these moments will stick; if, in 10, 20, or 50 years, I’ll be proud of hitting publish or removing myself from the chat or saying “so what.” I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
