The Silent Longing No One Talks About

There’s a longing that creeps in quietly.

It doesn’t announce itself with fireworks. It shows up in subtler ways, like scrolling through Instagram and feeling that pang of envy when you see someone else wandering through sun-drenched streets in Italy, or standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon, or laughing with friends around a table in Morocco.

It’s that tug in your chest when you realize: I want that too.

For many of us, especially women in our wisdom years, this longing grows louder in midlife. Kids leave home. Careers plateau. Relationships shift. You’ve spent decades showing up for everyone else, and suddenly the house feels too quiet, or maybe too crowded with responsibilities that don’t reflect who you are becoming.

And yet, you don’t say it out loud.

You keep the longing silent, tucked under schedules and grocery lists, because it feels selfish. Or frivolous. Or impractical.

But the truth is, this ache for connection and adventure is not frivolous at all. It is your soul knocking.

Signs You’re Craving Deeper Connection and Adventure

I’ve seen this in countless women I travel with, and I’ve felt it in myself:

• Restlessness: You can’t quite settle. You’re bored in rooms where you used to feel alive. You find yourself staring out the window and thinking, there has to be more.

• Envy: Not the petty kind, but the deep, aching kind when you see someone else living a life that looks expansive and free.

• Feeling invisible: At home, at work, sometimes even in your own family. You’ve become the dependable one, the glue that holds everything together, but who really sees you?

These aren’t small things. They are signals.

My Own Silent Longing

When I first moved back to Canada after years abroad, I felt this acutely. On the outside, everything looked fine: new house, new routines, the “right” boxes ticked. But inside, I was restless, aching. I missed the colours of Morocco, the wide skies of Botswana, the laughter around long wooden tables in Costa Rica.

I realized what I was craving wasn’t just travel. It was aliveness. It was friendship. It was that electric feeling of seeing myself clearly again, not just as mother, partner, daughter, or business owner, but as me.

Why This Matters

Because when you answer that longing, you don’t just fill your own cup. You ripple out. Your kids, your partner, your friends—they see you lit up. They witness your courage, your joy, your willingness to keep becoming. And whether you realize it or not, you are giving them permission to do the same.

An Invitation

So if you’ve been feeling this tug, this silent longing no one talks about, I want you to know you’re not alone. You are not selfish. You are not frivolous. You are simply human.

Maybe your next adventure looks like getting on a plane to Bali. Or maybe it’s saying yes to a weekend away with women you haven’t met yet but who might become lifelong friends.

Whatever it is, give yourself permission to follow the longing. It’s not about running away from your life. It’s about stepping back into it, fully alive, fully seen, and fully you.

Because the truth is:

The silent longing is not meant to stay silent.

It is meant to lead you home to yourself.

✨ This is why I created Grit & Grace Adventures. For women like you who crave more than “fine,” who want joy, connection, culture, and a circle of women to walk beside them on the path.

Reflection Prompts

Take a quiet moment with these questions and notice what rises for you:

1. When was the last time I felt truly alive and connected? What was I doing, and who was I with?

2. Where in my life do I feel invisible, and what would it look like to be fully seen?

3. What sparks envy in me right now, and what is that envy trying to tell me about my own longings?

4. If I set aside guilt or practicality, what is one adventure my heart is craving?

5. How might saying yes to myself create ripples for the people I love?