She adopted a dog and rediscovered herself
At the age of 57, Carlyn took an at-home DNA test to learn more about her ancestry and discovered something shocking: She’d been adopted. And it turned out most of her extended family had known and kept it a secret. “I spent the following year trying to rebuild my fractured identity,” says Carlyn, who navigated shock, grief, loss, and anger. As someone who had stifled her emotions, she challenged herself to let in her feelings and sought out therapy. She also adopted Grace, a rescue dog traumatized by a mountain lion attack. “My focus became helping her. Some of the things I applied to myself were the things I applied to her—a lot of love, patience, and not forcing anything and letting her healing go at her own pace,” she explains.…
