{2:50 minutes to read} I have realized as I have grown older, more experienced, and hopefully a little wiser that, when appropriate, sharing some things about Am I Still Me? by Jennifer Safianourselves can let others know that we are human. We certainly understand and respect what they may be going through, and we can empathize with their feelings, because often we may have experienced similar situations ourselves.

For myself, I went through some big transitions: I left France and moved to the United States some 30 years ago, and I began a second career about 15 years ago. I have also unfortunately experienced both divorce and widowhood.

When we go through major traumas in our lives, such as:

  • Major illness
  • Loss of people, places, possessions, etc.
  • Divorce
  • Widowhood
  • Change of job
  • Expatriation

the new people we encounter know nothing of who we were “before.“

So what happened to the girl with the maiden name? What happened to the wife with the name of the first husband? What happened to the wife with the name of the second husband?

Today she is none of those and yet she is also all of those. Despite the different names, she is still in many ways the same person, and yet these changes of circumstance and changes of name have also contributed to making her into a different person. She may not even realize herself how much she may have changed. She is hopefully a better person, but certainly a richer person for the experience.

Whether you chose to be the new YOU or life forced it upon you, take it all in. Cherish these opportunities, bring your rich past with you and find your new future.

What major transitions have you experienced? How have they enriched your life?

 

Comments from Social Media

Growth has been achieved when one reaches the point of self-realization. The ability to learn and relearn is so fulfilling. A youth is wasted on the young situation?

Michael Belsky

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We are shaped and changed not only by life’s transitions but also by our responses to them. The hope is to learn, grow, and become wiser in ways to engage well with life and others. Then, those transitions–as hard as they can be–serve not only to shape us but to feed into the people with whom we share life. Thanks for a pause to consider the bigger picture this morning.

Tess Worrell

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I could not agree more, Jennifer. Among other things, this also makes us more authentic and allows people to better understand how our personal background and life experiences shaped our assumptions, biases, values and beliefs. In other words, our personal background and life experiences shaped who we are at any given time.

Mark B. Baer

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Jennifer Safian

Jennifer Safian

jennifer safian. divorce and family mediator
divorce and family mediation
upper east side of manhattan (nyc)
new york, ny
(917) 881 5206
jpsafian@gmail.com
Jennifer Safian

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