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Honoring What Was, Before Reimagining What’s Next

 

What if moving forward requires us to first acknowledge what we have lost?

In Part Four of my five-part series on pivoting, I’m exploring a side of change that we don’t talk about enough: grief. We often celebrate the courage it takes to pivot, rebuild, and begin again, but every new direction may also require us to release the life, body, identity, or future we once imagined.

As I approach eight years since electing to amputate my leg, I’ve been asking myself whether I ever truly grieved my limb loss. Looking back, I realize much of my grieving happened during the four months between deciding to amputate and undergoing surgery. I cried, wrestled with my fears, and tried to understand how my future might change. When I finally released it to God, I felt a peace that helped me move forward.

 

 

Every amputee’s experience is different. Some of us have time to prepare, while others wake up after an accident or medical emergency and discover that their body has changed. There is no correct way or timeline for grieving.

Grief is not limited to death. We can grieve our independence, body image, physical abilities, relationships, identity, trust, or the path we thought our lives would follow. We can also be deeply grateful for our prosthesis, medical team, family, and progress while still grieving what was lost.

 

 

 

Grief does not make me ungrateful, and gratitude does not require me to pretend that nothing was lost.

When grief remains unacknowledged, it can surface as anger, resentment, emotional numbness, comparison, overworking, or constantly pushing through pain. I recognize my own tendency to connect my value with productivity. Sometimes staying busy feels easier than slowing down long enough to feel what is happening inside me.

I also share five steps for moving through a life-changing pivot: name what you lost, allow yourself to feel it, honor why it mattered, release the original shape of the dream, and reimagine what remains possible.

 

 

I may not ski exactly as I once imagined, but I found another way. I learned to ski on one leg with outriggers, and that reimagined future has brought courage and joy back into my life.

 

 

This week, name one thing you have been trying to move past. What changed? What do you miss? Why did it matter? Then ask yourself: How can I carry the heart of that dream forward in a new form?

Give yourself permission to grieve without judgment—but don’t stop there. Honor what was, release the path you expected, and begin reimagining what could still be possible. Share this episode with someone facing an unexpected change, and follow the BAWarrior Podcast as we continue learning how to rebuild on the other side of the pivot.

 

And as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

Much love,