A sample of You Were Always Growing (Even In The Dark)
You Were Always Growing
Even In The Dark
Charlotte Freeman
Thought Catalog Books
thoughtcatalog.com
Copyright © 2025 Charlotte Freeman.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior written consent and permission from Thought Catalog.
Published by Thought Catalog Books, an imprint of Thought Catalog, a digital magazine owned and operated by The Thought & Expression Co. Inc., an independent media organization founded in 2010 and based in the United States of America. For stocking inquiries, contact stockists@shopcatalog.com.
Produced by Chris Lavergne and Noelle Beams
Art direction and design by KJ Parish
Circulation management by Isidoros Karamitopoulos
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First Limited Edition Print
Printed in the United States of America, JST 2025
ISBN 978-1-965820-06-3
From my heart to yours.
This book is here to hold your hand when hope is all you are looking for and it feels impossible to find. It is your reminder that growth is quietly unfolding even in your darkest moments, and that there is an unseen strength and beauty in your resilience. I sincerely hope these pages help you acknowledge the courage you have within yourself, and allow you to realize that you were always growing, even in the dark.
In memory of my uncle Ross Benn—
whose kindness and creativity left a lasting
impact on all who knew him, especially me.
There are many living things that can
find a way to flourish in the darkness.
Including you.
One day it will make sense.
One day you will meet someone who will change your life in the best way possible. One day you will meet someone who will love you entirely, without condition. One day you will realize why it never worked with anyone else. One day you will meet someone who makes you question how you held onto the wrong one for so long, and why you were so scared to walk away from someone you knew was so wrong for you. One day you will meet someone who will calm your heart, someone who will show you how much they love you so you will never have to question it. One day you will meet someone who accepts you as you are, and you will never have to feel like you need to change yourself to be worthy of their love. One day you will meet someone who will hold your heart, all of it, and know how lucky they are. Until then, please don’t accept any less than what you deserve, because there is someone better for you out there. There is someone out there that you are yet to meet, who could change your life in the best way possible.
To move forward you must give
more energy to your future
and less energy to your past.
You must give more energy
to what you can control
and less to what you can’t.
Have trust in the timing.
If something didn’t work out the first time, please know that doesn’t mean it will never work out. Trust the journey, keep going, keep chasing what is meant to be yours. Because what is meant for you will not escape you, what is meant for you will find you.
Some of the best outcomes
are hidden behind
some of the hardest decisions
you will ever have to make.
So if you are faced
with a difficult dilemma
remind yourself that what comes next
has the potential to change your life.
Your life can change at any moment.
Your life can change at any moment. You can meet the right person when you weren’t even looking for them. You can get your dream job just as you had given up looking. You can find a new passion and change the direction of your life when you are feeling more lost than ever. You can meet your best friend in your thirties. You can start a new career in your forties. You can find your purpose in your fifties. A toxic relationship may end and open the door for someone who was actually made for you. You can meet your person and start a family much later than you imagined you would and it will still be everything you dreamed of. If you feel stuck, please remember that life is full of surprises and it can change at any moment. Things can unfold so differently to how you hoped, but it doesn’t make your journey any less beautiful. So if you feel like you are behind or that things are happening for everyone in your life but you, don’t give up hope, because life can change at any moment, and it might turn out better than you ever dreamed it could.
Bring yourself peace.
Not everybody in your life is going to understand some of the decisions you make in order to bring yourself peace, and that is okay. What is important is that you allow yourself to feel peace anyway. While it’s comforting to feel understood by others, it is not always necessary—and truthfully, it is the understanding and acceptance you show yourself that keeps you moving forward. Remember that it is usually the moments that cause you the greatest discomfort that encourage you to grow.
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