@ZoyaAnsari 12 December 2022

I spent most of my life trying to catch up with the world, not knowing where to go, always wondering if there really is a star out there shining just for me. It was the most tiring thing to do and eventually, I stopped trying. I stopped walking, and instead just looked around. Little by little, I realized that I'm not missing out in life—at least not on the things that matter. That I had just been so busy looking way past them. Yes, my life would be more colorful if some of my dreams came true, but the sky I see when I ride the train after the morning rush is just as blue as everybody else's. The sunsets are just as beautiful, and while I may not have a lot of people caring for me, when I'm with those who do, my heart swells up, too, like the biggest star in the galaxy. It really is amazing, the things you see when you slow down. The blur, the jagged pieces of the puzzle, every tic of the clock and every bridge burned—they all suddenly make sense. You realize how life is not about the numbers, how it's not about a bunch of stranger's idea of success that makes it worth living. Instead, it's the happy moments we're here to experience, those little ones that make us feel like somehow, we shine, too.