All The Women I Could Have Been: On Midlife, Choice, and the Parallel Lives We Carry
There's a version of me who still plays Chopin in Venice every evening. Another who never left her village. One whose business card says International Liaison Officer.
Sometimes I miss them. Not with regret. More like a quiet ache for what will never be true.
This is about the tension we don't talk about enough: loving the life you have while still grieving the ones you left behind. The parallel selves we carry. The women we almost were.
Because maybe courage isn't picking the "right" path. Maybe it's picking a path and learning to live with all the ones you didn't take.
WHY I WROTE AWAKE
I woke up at 2:47 a.m. most nights. Perimenopause, they said. Hormones. Stress. Age. But knowing why didn't make it easier. I felt completely alone—just me, the clock, and the weight of being awake when I didn't want to be. So I started writing it down. 60 nights became a book. Not to fix it. Just to say: you're not alone in this.