There was a time when certain things felt permanent. No matter how much you tried to run away from them, they were always there. No matter how much you tried to ignore them, you had to give your full attention to them. They filled your days, stayed in your mind, and you felt them in your heart. Your whole life was moving around them.

That phase felt like a black hole ready to consume you. So, you lived through it because what other option did you have? But after some time, you decided to move with time, even if it meant moving slowly. It was better than being consumed by that black hole. And slowly, things began to change. Not in a dramatic way. Not with a clear ending. But it became less. Less intense. Less consuming. Less affecting.

At first, you didn’t think much of it. But over time, the space it once occupied in your life was replaced by other things. Things that became more important than those earlier ones. And one day, you realised that the phase was no longer the centre of your life.

It still existed. The memories were still there. But they were no longer affecting everything around you. They became something you had experienced, not something you were still living inside. There is a strange kind of distance in that. Not disconnection, just… distance. Like a movie scene you once watched absent-mindedly.

Now, when you look back, you realise how far you have come. How much your life once revolved around it. How much it influenced your decisions, emotions, and the way you thought. And it all made sense then, but not anymore. Maybe that’s what outgrowing really means. Not erasing your past. Not getting rid of it. Not denying it. Just reaching a place where it no longer holds you back.