A Life Un-Lived
The risk isn't dying. The risk is arriving at death having never fully lived.
MENTAL HEALTHRELATIONSHIPSPERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Renetta Smith
5/30/20263 min read
Original content created by no more hiding™ © 2026 All rights reserved.
What parts of yourself have you buried alive?
Come on… don't play dumb. You know exactly what I'm talking about.
The certification you've been postponing.
The trip you've been meaning to take.
The hobby you've convinced yourself is frivolous.
The business idea sitting in a notebook in your nightstand.
The conversation with your spouse you've been avoiding.
The life you've been promising yourself you'll start "one day."
At first, the explanations sound reasonable.
"I'm too busy."
"The kids need me."
"Money is tight."
"Now isn't the right time."
And here's one of my personal favorites: "I'm still waiting to hear from God for direction."
Meanwhile, God is saying: "Daughter, I gave you the answer years ago. You simply didn't like the answer, and you're waiting for Me to change My mind."
Procrastination baptized in holy water is still procrastination. (Let that rest in your spirit for a minute.)
Women don't usually disappear all at once. We disappear in bits and pieces.
A postponed dream here.
A swallowed opinion there.
A hobby we convinced ourselves was frivolous.
A suitcase still sitting in the closet with the price tag attached because "now isn't the right time."
At first, shrinking feels responsible. At first, it feels temporary.
We tell ourselves: "Things will calm down after this season, and then I'll..."
But one season becomes five years.
Five years becomes twenty.
And before we know it, we've spent more time surviving life than actually living it.
Society praises women who sacrifice.
Women who are dependable, low-maintenance, loyal, and who put everyone else first.
Meanwhile, pieces of their lives quietly go un-lived. And sometimes, without even realizing it, we begin mourning the version of ourselves we abandoned.
Is it possible that some women call themselves selfless when they've actually become self-abandoning? Because there is a difference. Selflessness serves others. Self-abandonment erases yourself.
At what point does being praised for sacrifice become the reason we abandon ourselves?
At what point does loyalty become self-neglect?
At what point does responsibility become a cage?
Those are uncomfortable questions. But uncomfortable questions are often where healing begins.
Connect with something that feeds your spirit.
Something that makes you lose track of time. Something that reminds you that you exist outside of your responsibilities.
Because the longest relationship you'll ever have is with yourself. Stop treating her like she'll always wait.
One day you'll realize she wasn't asking for perfection. She wasn't asking for certainty.
She wasn't asking for permission. She was asking for participation.
She was asking you to show up. To your life. To your dreams. To yourself.
Not to find a new version of yourself.
But to reclaim the woman you buried while she still had plenty of life left to live.
Live Whole. Live Seen. Live Free.
Renetta