August 16, 2026 - Experiencing Happiness
August 16, 2026 — 12:02 AM
Ten years… a whole ten years since I first tasted the bitterness of depression in my throat, and within seconds felt it spread its poison through my body.
Ten years have passed, and I think that goes a long way toward explaining why sadness and heavy emotions feel more familiar to me than being carefree, joyful and happy.
Ten years are also more than enough to change a person. That’s the entire lifetime of a human being who is about to start fifth grade. Someone who has had five years to build memories, a life, and friendships. Someone who could be my son or daughter…
Ten years is a hell of a long time to get used to things that were never really me to begin with. To get accustomed to coping mechanisms that were right for me back then, but have long since outlived their expiration date.
I want to get better at receiving joy because I deserve it. I want to learn how to savor being light and happy. I want to feel joy and have it show in my eyes and in the way my body moves.. not cringe and hide it just so I don’t “lose my charisma.” Girl, fuck your charisma and fuck what anyone thinks about it.
I want to relax and learn how to taste the moment. I want to stretch my body out and let the water carry me, take me wherever it wants without being disgusted by the stickiness of the water, its saltiness or the sand.
I want to roll around and play like little kids without my brain immediately telling me that I don’t like this texture, or that sound, or that taste.
I want to write while being 100% present inside my own mind… to be fully there, with my whole soul, aware that I’m tapping my fingers against my phone screen right now, putting a few letters next to each other so they become words and words become sentences, and sentences become meaning.. meaning that we can feel and experience.
Or… so I can come back and read it again whenever I want, and see the sheer abundance of my memories and how rich they are.
Thank you, letters.
Thank you, meanings and synonyms.
Thank you, my brain, my hands, and my psyche for choosing to write and empty out what was filling my mind.
I'm grateful.And happy. Just not the kind of happiness I see everyone experiencing whether in real life or in the media. Mine is different. A peculiar kind of happiness, but it's mine.
And I'm happy that I can express it.