What is the theme in A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman by Joan Anderson?

Personal growth is another theme in the story. Part of the reason that Joan needed a year to herself was that she recognized that she had ceased her journey of personal growth, instead allowing responsibilities of marriage, family, and a vibrant social life to distract her from what was going on inside. At first, Joan felt overwhelmed and lost, not even knowing where to start, but a minister she was friends with counseled her, "You've no alternative but to simply sit still and listen.