Lately, I’ve felt out of place at work—but nothing about me has changed.

The people are new. The culture is louder. The pace is different. And while everyone else seems to be adapting, I feel like I’m fading in the background—still showing up, still doing my part, but no longer feeling part of it.

It’s like walking through a house you used to live in—familiar walls, same layout—but all the furniture’s been moved, the colors are different, and your favorite corner is now someone else's desk.

And the hardest part is that I didn’t change. I didn’t lose interest. I didn’t stop caring. I just didn’t grow in the same direction as everything around me. And now I’m here, quietly wondering if I’m out of sync—or just out of place.

It makes me ask myself uncomfortable questions: Do I speak up, or stay quiet? Do I try harder to fit in, or protect what still feels like me? Do I leave, or wait to see if this is just a passing phase?

I used to feel proud of how stable I am—how I could hold steady when things changed. But now, I’m not sure if that steadiness is resilience or resistance.

Maybe belonging isn’t always about being aligned. Maybe sometimes it’s about being seen while you’re in between—still here, still showing up, still holding on.

And maybe that’s enough for now.