Familiar vs. Foreign: The Road Less Traveled Within

There’s a quiet comfort in the familiar.
Even when it no longer serves us, we cling to what we know — the routines, the beliefs, the old versions of ourselves that once felt safe.

For me, the familiar was who I was before cancer — before my body changed, before surgical menopause began. I knew how to navigate that version of myself. She had plans, confidence, and certainty.

And then, in what felt like a single heartbeat, everything changed.

When I woke from surgery at 27, I stood at an invisible crossroads: one road was familiar — the life I thought I’d have — and the other was foreign, filled with uncertainty, discomfort, and loss. But walking it shaped me in ways I couldn’t have imagined, and for that, I am forever grateful.

Robert Frost once wrote,

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference.”

I used to think that poem was about courage — about boldly choosing the unknown.
Now I see it differently. It’s about trust.

The road less traveled isn’t just about what happens outside of us — it’s about what happens within.
It’s the moment you decide to stop fighting the change and start listening to what it’s teaching you.

For many of us in surgical menopause, the familiar is the life we had before. The foreign is everything that comes after — the symptoms, the emotions, the identity shift, the deep unlearning. But if you allow it, that foreign path can also become the most sacred one you’ll ever walk.

Because somewhere between grieving what was and surrendering to what is, you begin to rediscover yourself — stronger, wiser, and more whole than before.

So if you’re standing at your own crossroads, wondering which path to take, remember this:
Growth rarely happens where we already know the way.

Sometimes, the road less traveled isn’t a place at all.
It’s a return — to you.

Journal Prompt:
What “familiar” pattern, belief, or identity are you being invited to release?
And what might open for you if you step onto the “foreign” path of trust and self-discovery?

If you’re ready to explore these topics deeper and transform your life through conscious choice, check out the Brainwave Reset Method Pilot Program here: https://betsyanne.gr.courses/courses/brainwave-reset-method-pilot-program