The Mid-Life Crash

Dear Delyara, I hit the 'Storm' of a mid-life breakdown at forty-four. I had the house, the car, and the 'Victoria' title at work, but I was waking up every morning wishing the day was already over. The 'Grind' was pretending that the 'American Dream' was enough to fill the hole in my chest. I started drinking to quiet the noise, which only brought a new storm into my marriage. I was at the 'Crossroads' of losing my family or losing my mask. I chose to lose the mask. I went to a facility, I stepped down from my high-pressure job, and I started working with my hands again, fixing old clocks. My Victoria is the quiet ticking of a watch in a small workshop. I am not 'important' to the world anymore, but I am important to myself. The victory is finding that peace doesn't come from a paycheck, but from a quiet mind.