I lost myself between the heavy lines of traffic and the song playing on the radio. The rain triggered me to pull away from myself and everything else around. In the middle of the stoplight and the go signal, where I am challenged to go deeper into something else.

In the meadows of what ifs and what is. In the clear blue skies where the sunlight burns the ends of my soul. At the gate of holiness where faith and truth lie clear. At the books where I am taught to imagine and that everything, I can think of is real. At the pages of the manuscript that digs deep in my bones only to succumb to the realness of reality. On the printed images on paper where perception is distorted and blurred away.

On the makeshift of humanity. By the exchange of glances between the stranger and I. Between the shared advice of myself and an acquaintance. On the sobs of my friends of pain and heartbreak. On the diluted pupils of my loved ones where I vowed to never love and promise at the same time. Along the walls that surround me.

I lost myself in truth, in love, in hope. And that’s where I also found me.

In the chaos of the world, I found myself amidst the tangled web of emotions and experiences. I found myself in the moments of connection and in the depths of my own introspection. Amidst the blurred lines of reality and perception, I discovered the essence of my being.

In the tears of my friends, I found empathy and understanding, in the exchanged glances with strangers, I found a shared humanity. In the pages of books and the imagined worlds, I found the power of creativity and the limitless possibilities of my mind.

I lost myself in the whirlwind of life, only to find that in the midst of it all, I had discovered the truth, love, and hope that defined me. And in that discovery, I found the most authentic version of myself.

© Beatriz Esmer