new beginnings are never easy. no matter how many times one leaves what they loved behind– whether it be habits, friends, or old ways of living– parting with normalcy is deeply disturbing. for an individual, what does it matter if an aspect of their past was healthy or not? sometimes the hardest things to let go, much like heroin for a junkie, tie one down and restrict personal development. it is in breaking free from these chains where one finds growth. for every friend lost, routine broken, and setting changed, i am constantly becoming the person my former self strove to, but could never, be.