My old identity is dead. I wondered why I had been feeling so sad lately for no obvious reason.

As is usually the case in the typical GRIEF process defined by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, I tried to bargain with life. I denied the situation. I felt angry because it wasn’t fair. Or I was depressed. And sometimes I even accepted things as they were. But not necessarily in that order. Grief is not a linear process. It goes back and forth, up and down, and repeats itself as many times as it wants. Or as long as I resist the truth.

Sitting quietly in acceptance is mostly the point of no return.

And that’s the point where a new identity can start to emerge. Which I can reject at first.

Because I had different expectations for myself.