This is the third and final piece in January’s collection on adaptation. The first explored sanctuary. The second explored daily practice. This reflection looks at what it means to be in your element and how that idea changes when growth asks you to live beyond the places that once felt most natural.

This piece is the second in a series of reflections on adaptation. The first explored sanctuary and the seasons of healing that shape us. This one moves closer to the ground of ordinary life. It looks at how adaptation shows up in small decisions, quiet shifts, and the moment when rest becomes something we carry forward instead of something we hide inside.

Every year, I choose a single word to hold my attention and shape my listening. Not a goal and not a slogan, but a lens. A way to notice what is already happening instead of forcing something new. This year, the word arrived quietly and kept returning when I was not looking for it.

Adaptation found me in memory, in stillness, and in the slow recognition that the season I have been living in is changing. What once kept me safe is now asking to grow. What once felt like shelter is beginning to feel like a doorway.

This is a reflection on sanctuary, on healing, and on the moment when refuge turns into readiness.