the versions of ourselves that no longer exist

We are not who we once were. The person you were five years ago, a year ago, even a month ago .. versions of you that existed for a time, then quietly faded as life shaped you into someone new.There are thoughts you used to believe with certainty, now replaced by new understandings. Dreams you once chased that no longer call to you. Fears that once held you back but now seem distant, like echoes of a person you can barely recognize. Growth does not always announce itself; sometimes, it is only when we look back that we realize how much has changed.And yet, we often grieve these past selves, even the ones we worked so hard to outgrow. The innocence we lost, the confidence we once had, the versions of us that existed before heartbreak, before disappointment, before life carved its lessons into us. But perhaps they were never meant to stay. Perhaps they were only stepping stones, necessary for the person we are still becoming.Let them go with gratitude. The past versions of you did their job .. they carried you to this moment. And who you are now will one day become a memory, too. This is not loss; this is transformation.You are allowed to change. You are allowed to evolve. You are allowed to keep becoming someone you have not yet met.