What do I do when people keep expecting me to be my old self?

Mirabai faced this daily. Her family wanted the dutiful princess back. Her community wanted the woman who fit. But she had tasted something truer, and going backward would have been a kind of death. This is one of the hardest parts: you've changed, but the people around you are still looking at the person you were. They're not being cruel — they're just not seeing you. And you have to decide what you owe them. You don't owe anyone a performance. But you might owe some people patience while they adjust. Others — the ones who need you to stay small so they stay comfortable — those relationships will hurt. That's not your failure. That's them choosing the version of you that serves them. Start by being clear with yourself: Who gets to know the real version? Who are you still pretending for, and why? What would happen if you stopped? With some people, you can name it directly: 'I'm not that person anymore, and I'm not going back.' With others, you demonstrate it through action, not explanation. They'll adjust or they won't. Your job is to keep becoming yourself, not to make that easy for them. Mirabai's family never fully accepted her choice. She grieved that. And she kept singing.