Dear Medium: What Is Life?

Finding Joy In Dark Moments

Photo by Austin Schmid on Unsplash

I found happiness
in the quiet hours,
walking alone,
the world unfolding in its own time.

I let go of the need
to be somewhere else,
to reach for a future
that always seemed just out of reach.

In those moments,
I breathed deeply,
felt the air fill my lungs
without the weight of expectation.

Exhaustion followed me,
like a shadow that clings
to every step,
and I felt stuck.

Life, it seemed, was set
against me,
no matter how hard I tried
to bend it to my will.

A pause, then a soft voice —
maybe it’s not the effort,
but the direction,
not the plans, but the peace they lack.

For years, I held on tight,
gripping every detail,
mapping out moments,
obsessed with the perfect aim.