Worry does not give us control. It does not prevent loss, guarantee outcomes, or protect us from being hurt. At best, it is rehearsal; at worst, it is self-inflicted punishment for a future that may never arrive. Most of what we fear never happens—and when something finally does, we meet it with the same tools we always had. All that worry in between does not prepare us. It only wears us down.

When I reflect back on my life, whether 10 months ago or 12 years ago, it is so clear to me that I have grown and I am growing. I am a stronger person today than I was back then, but I also know it's because of what happened back then. Those moments made me, and yours are making you.

If despair is a consequence of not being who you are, then what is the yearning for a more-actualized version of myself? Who am I, really?