Destiny

Whenever I talk about the experience to friends, I can see it for what it really was. A toxic, conditional kind of relationship where I never felt safe or secure. So why is it when I reminisce in quiet moments, I start to romanticise the past? The right person will always bring out the best in you, and at the very least, the truth of who you are. I was unrecognisable to everyone including myself, and the anxiety I developed was unlike anything I’d ever known.

But I believe everything happens for a reason, and I am where I am today because of a series of seemingly unrelated events. Without the unwavering support of my team through my darkest times of self-doubt, my career would have ended. My professional reputation would have been adversely impacted and I wouldn’t have been fit for any decent paying role in the aftermath. That means I wouldn’t have gone on to travel as much as I did in 2023 or have the right mindset and financial tools to make this world trip a reality for 2024.

Dreams are nice to have, but you can’t taste the sweetness of success in the realm of imagination. As I reflect on a more distant past, I realise that I have gone through my fair share of traumatic events and I’ve made it out alive each time, stronger than before. I can’t always be the saviour, and I still am yet to learn how to accept someone else’s care and affection without turning defensive. Maybe it will be easy with the right person, maybe it will always take time to adjust.

Though I may not feel it in the present, I know how strong and resilient I’ve become. I know I will always find the courage to move on, no matter the wreckage. Poetry inspires me to do so, as do humans, the world and everything inbetween.