Healing is Puzzling

Healing is messy. It’s confusing. And some days, it feels impossible.

You think you’re making progress, then out of nowhere, a memory sneaks up on you, and suddenly you’re sitting in your car, staring at the steering wheel, wondering how a song, a smell, or a simple phrase could unravel you all over again. Healing isn’t a straight line—it’s a puzzle. And not the nice, new kind where every piece fits perfectly. No, this one got knocked over, lost a few pieces under the couch, and somehow, the dog chewed up the corners of what used to be your favorite part.

Heartbreak, trauma, and life’s hardest moments leave us shattered. And when we finally work up the courage to start picking up the pieces, we realize they don’t look the same anymore. The edges are worn, the colors have changed, and some pieces don’t seem to fit at all. And that? That’s terrifying.

We grieve who we used to be. We fight to hold on to a version of ourselves that felt whole, even if deep down, we know we’re never going back to that exact person again. And maybe—just maybe—that’s not the worst thing.

Because while healing is painful, it’s also transformative. Those missing pieces? Maybe we don’t need them anymore. Maybe they made room for something new. Something stronger. Something wiser. Maybe we’re not supposed to put ourselves back together exactly as we were but rather create something entirely different—something beautiful in a way we never expected.

So if you’re in the middle of it, if you’re staring at the mess, unsure where to even begin, take a deep breath. You don’t have to fix everything today. Just find one piece. Hold it. Acknowledge it. Place it where it belongs, even if it’s somewhere new. And when you’re ready, find the next one.

Piece by piece, you’re creating something remarkable—something that is still you, just reimagined. And that? That is worth every bit of the struggle.