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New gate, same solo me
I made my way to the airport just like I have in the past eight years — on my own. All alone. And I’d make my way to my final destination the same way. In the beginning of everything, I would get dropped off and picked up. I had so many eyes on me. I felt so supported and protected. It went on for a good while. It’s not like I couldn’t take myself to the airport because I always did when I had to. That was one of the easiest parts after moving away from family and friends — being independent, getting myself to places. But on days when…
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Not mutual? Not worth fixing
“Blood is thicker than water,” as I’ve found, is just another fairytale. It’s one of the many stories we tell ourselves to try to make sense of what’s important in life; try to make sense of interpersonal relationships. I had always defended the idea that family ties were, and should, come before everything. But inevitably, my own belief bit me in the arse. It turned out to be just another disillusionment of life. Accepting others as they are; accepting that maybe there will always be different points of view, even among a tight group of people who grew up together, is key to avoiding unnecessary disappointments. I adopted that philosophy…
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The woman on the trolley
There’s this trolley I take. My rides are usually short, but when I’m on it, I see all kinds of people hop on and hop off — seemingly old, young, rich, poor… Not many of them make an impression on me. Most times I’m lost in my zone with my headphones on. Or maybe I’m looking out the window, impatient to get home. Other times, I notice. For different reasons, some people are hard to miss, like an elderly woman I saw today. I think I know why, but I still can’t explain all that went through my head. I felt this sadness quickly build up the more I looked…
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Self-expression and Human Relations
What do you do when you’re sad, happy, or angry? How do you let other people know what you’re feeling, should they need to know? Notice any patterns of behavior in the way you express your emotions? That’s your way of self-expression and it’s part of your personality. Don’t you usually feel better after you say something that you might’ve wanted to “get off your chest”? When you express those feelings or concerns, be it to someone else or to yourself, the weigh may come off right away. That is because being heard and understood are crucial for a stable emotional state. But expressing your thoughts and feelings doesn’t always…
