I breathe in and close my eyes, murmuring words of assurance—
this will pass.
I breathe out, gasping for strength through my silence.
I see fear, yet choose to remain unmoved.
I close my eyes again, bow my head,
and whisper a prayer: this too shall pass… it will be okay.
I breathe in,
and breathe out.
“Striving valiantly in the arena, facing challenges, and daring to try, even if one fails.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Victory is not always about triumph; sometimes, it is simply the courage to keep going, to face our own imperfections with love and acceptance. At times, life takes unexpected turns that carry us higher than we ever imagined.
Santorini. The pandemic had just begun to ease, borders carefully reopening, and after two long years of isolation, it was my first journey back into the world. The island was almost empty, its silence amplifying its beauty.
One afternoon, Jen, Ralla, and I decided to walk from Akrotiri to Emporio, a trail of about 7 kilometers. By the time we arrived, our feet were heavy, and our bodies tired. Jen sat down to rest and asked us to capture photos she could post later.
As Ralla prepared the camera, my eyes caught a beautiful church nearby. Its roof looked climbable, and I thought to myself—this could be the perfect place for a once-in-a-lifetime shot, with the caldera standing boldly behind me.
Without a second thought, I leapt, climbed, and stood tall on that rooftop. “Take the shot now!” I called out. The result was stunning: a woman standing with confidence against the wide-open sky. But what the picture didn’t show was what I felt inside—the rush of fear as the wind brushed past me, the trembling thought that I might fall. And yet, beneath that fear, a quiet voice whispered: Hold still. You got this.
And I did.
Reflection
Life often places us on rooftops we never expected to climb. From the outside, others may see only strength, beauty, and confidence. But inside, we may be battling fear, doubt, or the wind that threatens to unsteady us. Courage is not the absence of fear—it is the choice to stay, to trust, to hold still in the moment and whisper to ourselves, You got this.
In the end, the most powerful victories are not in how the world sees us, but in how we rise above our inner storms and dare to stand tall—imperfect, yet unshaken.
Wings to fly,
To soar up high,
To feel the joy of open sky.
Wings to see what lies unseen,
Above the clouds, beyond the green.
Wings to lift, to dream, to try—
To give us hope,
And help us fly.
For the nth time this month, my social media accounts have been the target of hackers. Each time I logged in, I noticed subtle changes—tiny red flags that something wasn’t right.
Maybe, after all these years of being “computer literate,” I let my guard down. Or perhaps hackers have simply become more aggressive and creative.
For months, I found it strange that my location never matched where I actually was. I’d often brush it off, thinking, Did I forget to turn off my mock VPN location? But in the fast pace of life, with other priorities consuming my attention, I left an opening—one that opportunists were all too eager to exploit.
Clone, Worms, and Everything in Between
I couldn’t see the hacker’s device because they had cloned mine—mirroring my location and activity. But no crime is ever truly perfect.
One evening, I spotted an unfamiliar device linked to my account. That was the beginning of a grueling three-day journey to reclaim my digital security. After hours of investigating, resetting, and securing, my accounts are finally back under my control. For now, at least.
Reflection
Hackers don’t care who you are or what your account means to you. To them, it’s just a means to an end—an opportunity to exploit for their own gain.
It’s a psychological battle, one that breeds unease—the fear of losing access to precious memories, the photos documenting travels, moments, and milestones. For days, I was unsettled. But then, I reminded myself: I live in the real world.
The moments I treasure will always stay with me, no matter what happens online.
I will never let a hacker steal my peace of mind.
Moon shines , wind whispers you held my hands I felt your warmth .
Young hearts , sweet hearts , full of dreams ,you made my heart flutters.
Distance ,growth ,changes I saw you drift away
I loved you from a far .
Moon shines , star twinkles
Wind blows humming a tune of hope .
Trees dance as they interwine a melody of Love .
Sunshine , Moon shine , star twinkle
I loved you
There was once a friendship I knew—sweet, innocent, and pure. A friend who would spoil me by sharing even the little he had. He was a brother, a confidant, and my protector.
We grew up, life led us down different paths, and though we tried to stay connected, somewhere along the way, we lost touch.
There is a friendship I deeply miss, a friend I still long for. I remember how he would give so freely, even when he had so little.
I wish I could be that same, clingy, little sister-friend who would let him break through my walls again. I wish I could…
When I was younger, I always envisioned an angel as having long blonde hair, wearing a white dress, and possessing fluffy wings. She had a beautiful smile that could lighten any load.
But as I grew older, I realized that angels come in many forms—short, tall, Black, white, men, women, or anything in between.
An angel is more than just a celestial being; it’s a metaphor for a blessing, a symbol of hope, and a source of light that can make you smile when life feels hard to define.
We are all angels in our own way.
As my favorite author once said, “We are like angels with one wing; we need each other to be able to fly.”
So, choose to be an angel in someone’s life today.
Every journey has an end
Every Sunrise have a sunset.
I will treasure all the moments that has been wrapped with laughters and silly stories .
I keep the love that holds in my heart .
It was fine walking with you side by side hand in hand .
My path is here . An end for a new beginning
I will always hold you close in myheart
Thank you
In the chaos of life, we dance amidst your eccentricity, a rebel with a soul of pure gold.
Your devotion to your mother knows no bounds, akin to your unwavering faith in the Virgin Mary.
We laugh, we share in the cacophony of your tales, a friend and protector, steadfast as a brother.
Our journeys intertwined, I am blessed to encounter a silent guardian, his heart a treasure trove of compassion and kindness.
In the break of dawn, I stared into this dusk of darkness. My mind is empty, my heart is aching, disbelief.
I lay still, I could hear my breath. Questions echo in my soul as I shed tears of sorrow.
In the dusk of dawn, I stared at this empty space. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and whispered a prayer.
The sun is rising and a new day awaits. I gather my strength, my faith, my hope, and my smile. It will be okay.
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