What happens when a story we learned in childhood keeps shaping the way we look for love and belonging in midlife? The Search for Belonging When I think about growing up, I remember feeling isolated and alone, like I did not belong. If, as a child, I believed my mother did not love me, I started to believe nobody else ever will. I do not have to say those words out loud for them to shape how I move through the world. I try to be funny. I try to be adventurous and fun to be