Somewhere in the Middle
On the good that lives in between
Being in the in-between feels like sitting at the airport gate after boarding has started. You’ve already said goodbye to where you were. You just haven’t taken off yet. You know something in your life is changing, but it hasn’t fully changed yet, or at least not in a visible, tangible way. And the in-between can be scary, because it’s much harder to understand and explain to yourself and especially to others.
Because if we’re honest, we live in a society that is deeply comfortable with finality. We like things that are clear. Arrivals. Endings. Moments we can name. Things we can point to and say, there, this makes sense now. We like milestones. Conventional ones. And I’m stressing the word conventional here, because there’s actually a pretty narrow set of milestones we collectively know how to recognize, talk about, and make sense of. Birthdays. Weddings. Promotions. Pregnancies. Anniversaries. Even divorces, we understand those too. They come with language, rituals, and social scripts. Maybe we take comfort in these moments because, at least for a while, they offer us something familiar — resolution. A sense of certainty. A feeling that things have landed somewhere we can all understand.
We don’t seem so comfortable with liminality, the in-between spaces where nothing is finished and everything is still forming. The word liminality itself comes from the Latin limen, meaning threshold. It describes those “betwixt and between” moments of life where old identities loosen before new ones fully take shape. Why does the in-between feel so unsettling for us? Is it because it doesn’t come with the same kind of resolution?
It’s true, there’s no clear before-and-after, no language to neatly explain what’s happening, and no certainty to hold onto when you’re in-between. Nothing has landed yet. You can’t point to a title or a timeline and say, this is what it is now. And without that certainty, we might start to feel a bit unmoored, not because something is wrong, but because we’ve been taught to rely on clarity as proof that we’re okay.
What I’ve been sitting with lately is this: some of the most meaningful shifts in our lives don’t announce themselves. They happen slowly, in the background, while we’re still figuring out how to describe what’s changing, if we ever do. Just because something hasn’t resolved yet doesn’t mean it isn’t real or that it isn’t shaping us.
Life doesn’t actually happen at the starting line or the finish. It happens in the middle, in the stretch where nothing is fully defined yet. The moments we think of as arrivals are real, but they’re usually brief. You feel the clarity, maybe even the relief, and then something else begins to move. The middle stretches on. The in-between lasts longer. It’s where most days are lived. Where decisions are made without full certainty. Where you’re figuring things out as you go. It doesn’t always feel comfortable, but it’s steady. And whether we realize it or not, the in-between matters more than the fleeting moments of resolution we tend to wait for. It’s where new ways of thinking, creating, and being quietly take shape, not because we’ve arrived somewhere, but because we haven’t yet.
The in-between isn’t something to hide from or rush through. So when someone asks how you’ve been, it’s totally okay if the answer doesn’t come with a huge headline. It can be enough to say you’re in a middle moment/season, and to be honest about what that’s been like for you. What you’re learning or unlearning. What feels clear or unclear. What’s slowly starting to shift.
Maybe that’s the quiet invitation of the in-between, not to rush toward clarity, but to stay with what’s still in process. To let life move without forcing it into a conclusion. To know that you don’t need a polished update to justify where you are. Being in the middle isn’t a failure of direction. It’s often proof that something real is unfolding. And wherever you find yourself right now, even if it’s in-between, neither here nor there, it’s enough.
Join the conversation in the comments section
Are you in a middle season right now? What comes up when you sit with that?
What’s something you’re learning, or slowly releasing, in this season?
More from The Good Unlocked
Care to share?
Sharing The Good Unlocked is a simple way to pass along something meaningful, like a favorite book or coffee spot. Every share helps this space grow and reach people who might appreciate it.
What a beautiful article!!! I really enjoyed this. It is an awesome inspiration to be present and grateful in our travel through life!!! 🩷🩷🩷
Ohh yes 🥹, you are speaking my language. So much has fallen away (I deeply believe through Divine purpose) over the last 12 months, in order to make space for all that is truly meant to meet me in all that I am becoming.
12 months ago I vividly remember making a choice that I wasn’t going to let inner dialogue and external noise of being “too much” and/or “not enough” discourage me from being all that I am and am meant to become.
Sitting here now I recognize how deeply capable my heart is of love. Love that is reverent, chosen, safe, mutual, tender, and embodied. I haven’t allowed myself to fully believe this my entire existence, but it’s awakening in me, little by little.