Notes By The Wayside #17 – Not All Loss Is Tragedy

Some things you lose weren’t meant to be carried any farther.

That’s not just comfort—it’s fact. Men who try to cling to everything eventually fall under the weight. Sometimes loss is a mercy disguised as pain. A job you never should’ve taken. A friendship built on weakness. A version of yourself you were never meant to keep.

But not all losses feel like that right away. Some come with grief. Some rip instead of fall away. You don’t have to pretend they didn’t hurt. You just don’t have to treat every loss like it defines you.

What sets your course and moves you ahead is how you respond. The proof of your strength is in what you build next. Your character is revealed by the way you stay upright when something you thought you needed is no longer there.

When the artist lays a chisel to stone, it's not destroying—it's shaping. Not all loss is tragedy. Sometimes it is sculpting.