The Third Quarter

 

Welcome to Third Quarter – A Space for the In-Between 

There’s a stretch of life that feels oddly uncharted—not quite where you began, not yet where you’re going. You’ve outgrown the person you used to be, but the next version of yourself hasn’t fully arrived. It’s a space full of almosts, maybes, and what-nows.

Third Quarter is for those of us in that middle ground. It’s not just about mental health—though it can be part of the story—but more about the raw, everyday experiences that shape us. The quiet realizations, the uncomfortable growth, the subtle shifts in who we are and what we want.

Here, we talk about the things that often go unsaid: the moments that feel too small to matter but somehow change everything, the awkward in-betweens of early adulthood, and the strange comfort of realizing you’re not alone in the confusion.

Who I Am & Why I Started This Blog

My name is Caiden, and like many of you, I’ve spent the last few years somewhere between knowing and searching. Not lost, exactly—but not anchored either. I’ve moved through relationships, jobs, routines, and versions of myself that didn’t quite fit. And in the quiet moments between all of that, I kept coming back to the same question: What now?

Third Quarter began as a way to document that question. Not to answer it outright, but to sit with it. To create space for stories, thoughts, and reflections that don’t always have a clear conclusion.

This blog isn’t about having a perfect path or a polished perspective. It’s about noticing the small pivots. The stuff you learn when you’re between milestones. The kind of growth that doesn’t always look like progress—but is.

Why “Third Quarter”?

In sports, the third quarter is often the turning point. The excitement of the beginning has faded, and the end is still too far to see. It’s where momentum builds—or shifts. It’s where everything matters, but nothing is final.

That rhythm feels a lot like life in your late teens and twenties. You’ve moved beyond childhood, but real adulthood—whatever that means—still feels abstract. There’s pressure to move forward, make decisions, and shape a future, even when you’re still figuring out what you want.

Third Quarter is about honoring that stretch. The questions, the boredom, the joy, the nostalgia, the growth you don’t always notice until much later.

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So What Comes Next?

If you’ve ever felt like you’re in-between—between identities, relationships, cities, dreams—this space is for you.

There’s no map for this part of life. But there is value in paying attention to it, writing it down, and sharing it out loud. That’s what Third Quarter is here to do.

Welcome to the in-between. Let’s make something meaningful out of it.