Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night, haunted by thoughts that just wouldn’t let you rest? That was me a few nights ago. Something was bothering me, something that had been lingering in my heart for the past week. No matter how much I tried to shake it off, it kept resurfacing, demanding my attention.
When I traced back to the root of my discomfort, I found the source. The memories played fresh in my mind, as if they had just happened yesterday (even though, in reality, they were from years ago). And the trigger? A recent conversation with a friend who saw me as misguided and attempted to “bring me back” to what she believed was the right path.
I regretted engaging in that conversation. I could have stayed silent or changed the topic, but instead, I challenged her viewpoint. I wanted her to realize that we were no longer on the same journey, so she would respect me and let me walk my path. But just as I had experienced before, her reaction was predictable; seeing me as lost, believing I had strayed, and feeling the need to correct my course. It was a pattern I had already endured with three other friends long time ago. And this time, I was exhausted.
So, here’s the story.
