I’ve mostly thought of growth as something you intentionally choose—setting goals, learning new skills, making positive changes. But this past year has taught me there’s another kind of growth…the kind you never ask for. The kind that shows up uninvited and says, “Ready or not, here I come.”

Have you ever been in a conversation where someone shares a view that makes you want to roll your eyes so hard you practically see your own brain? 

Yeah, me too. 

It’s so easy to dismiss something the second we don’t agree with it. But here’s the thing: when we shut down like that, we’re not just closing the door on the other person—we’re also closing the door on an opportunity to grow, or even to strengthen what we already believe.

A few weeks ago, I was unintentionally part of someone's mini photo shoot while at the park watching my grandkids play. I had no idea I was in the background of their perfectly posed moment until it was too late—and now, somewhere out there, I’m forever captured mid-sip of my chocolate milkshake, (which, for the record, I ordered with zero shame at 10:30 a.m. because adulthood has to have some perks) in their photo album as “random lady living her best life.”

It got me thinking: How many times have I been a background character in someone else’s story without even realizing it? Not the star, not the villain—just the extra who happened to walk by, hold a door, or make a random comment that may or may not have stuck with them. You know what I mean?

I saw this meme the other day that hit me right in the soul:

I read it once… then read it again. And I just sat with it for a minute...

Let’s be real: I didn’t always read ingredient labels. I didn’t think twice about popping an over-the-counter pill when something hurt. I didn’t really think much at all about a time when healing looked different.

But now? I’m asking a lot more questions. And I’m slowly finding my way back to something that feels... simpler. A little slower. A lot more intentional.

If you’ve read my post on how petrochemicals changed medicine, you know that the way we do healthcare today didn’t just happen. It was steered, hard, by some very powerful (and very rich) men with profit in mind.

And ever since I learned about that shift, I haven’t been able to unsee it...