The articles show how unpredictable yet beautiful our lives are, taking every relationship of your life as an experience. Take time to smile and laugh your heart out that one friend to cry to give a goodbye hug to not have regrets in the future.
The irony of life is life itself. It holds promises yet delivers uncertainties, and my life became its irony somewhere along the way. No one ever teaches us how to navigate the moments when life falls apart when plans crumble, and when people we thought would always be there simply drift away. The seeds of this unpreparedness are sown in childhood.
I remember those days of endless hours spent studying, hoping to see pride in their eyes. But when the marks didn't match their expectations, there were no words of encouragement, only disappointment. It was as if our worth was tied to numbers. Then there were the friendships. Big groups, laughter that echoed, and those "friends forever" WhatsApp groups we naively thought would stand the test of time. We saved each other's numbers with cheesy nicknames like "Bestie" and "Bestie 2," believing we'd always stick together.
We dreamed. Oh, how we dreamed. Inspired by the perfect friendships on TV shows, we imagined our futures intertwined-night parties, endless road trips, and being there for every marriage, and every heartbreak. But life, unpredictable as a storm, shattered it all. One by one, people drifted away, and promises dissolved like sand slipping through fingers. I still cry over those memories, not because they were taken from me, but because no one told me it was okay for things to end.
We weren't taught that it's human to lose people or that endings don't diminish the beauty of what once was. Instead, we were told to fear failure, to cling to relationships, and to blame those who left. I wish someone had told me it's fine to lose, fine to let go, fine to feel pain. Perhaps if I'd known that, life wouldn't feel so heavy now.
I look back at those childhood dreams with a pang of regret. If only I had known those days were fleeting, I would have lived them differently. I would have stayed a little longer in their laughter, spoken a little more during our dumb conversations, and hugged them tighter before saying goodbye.
I look back at those childhood dreams with a pang of regret. If only I had known those days were fleeting, I would have lived them
differently. I would have stayed a little longer in their laughter, spoken a little more during our dumb conversations, and hugged them tighter before saying goodbye. But now, here I am, sitting alone in my room, replaying those moments, wishing for just one more chance to relive them—not to change them but to feel them more deeply.
The hardest part is watching everyone move on. They've found new people, new lives. And though I'm happy for them, I feel stuck, holding onto a vision of togetherness that no longer exists. My plans for us were rooted in hope, but life taught me that hope, too, can be fragile.
Still, amidst the pain, there's a small flame of resolve. For my future child, I will teach them what I wish I'd known. I will tell them it's okay to fail, to lose, and to let go. I will remind them that nothing stays forever, but that's what makes it so precious. I'll let them experience life's unpredictable beauty but guide them just enough so they aren't caught unprepared like I was.
Still, amidst the pain, there's a small flame of resolve. For my future child, I will teach them what I wish I'd known. I will tell them it's okay to fail, to lose, and to let go. I will remind them that nothing stays forever, but that's what makes it so precious. I'll let them experience life's unpredictable beauty but guide them just enough so they aren't caught unprepared like I was.
Losing them-my friends, my dreams- is a wound that hasn't yet healed. But I'm learning, slowly, to cope. Time may dull the ache, but the lessons remain etched in my soul. Now, I know one thing: life's unpredictability may break us, but it also makes us. And while I can't rewrite the past, I'll guard my heart, not by closing it off, but by accepting that endings are a part of life's delicate balance.
Still, I wish life had given me just a little more foresight. Maybe then, the pain wouldn't sting quite as deeply. But maybe, just maybe, that's what life is: a bittersweet dance between what we hope for and what we're given. And in that fragile space, we find our strength.