The Other Side

We all find ourselves stuck sometimes.

Indecision wrapped around our wrists

like a tight rope gnawing at our skin,

all the choices we’ve made, replaying

in our heads, imagining the what-ifs of a choose-

your-own-adventure after the official manuscript

has already been published.

It’s easy to linger in this place of uncertainty.

It almost feels safe, suddenly no decision is

better than a wrong one.

And isolating yourself frees you from judgment.

But is this truly living?

And then you bump into someone at dinner,

someone who looks into your eyes deeply and

sees your pain. Someone who wants to listen.

Someone who will not diminish your pain,

but present it to you like an offering.

There is no substitute for the feeling of someone

validating your journey, holding your story in

gentle hands, compassion pouring from their lips.

Their face becomes a mirror for the staring contest

you ran away from months ago, the tears welling

up so fast it was all you could do to hide under the

covers and lock the doors.

But in that delicate moment, when someone

truly sees you, you realize you have made

it this far. And if you look closely, just past your reflection

and all the mistakes, you can see the beauty of a golden

light the world still holds for you.