When pain feels like a vast ocean

There was a time in my life when every day felt like a raging storm. I was a ship lost at sea, the waves crashing against me, threatening to pull me under. The weight of my despair was as heavy as the anchor, dragging me further down into the depths. It was during this time I stumbled upon a diary entry written by my grandmother.

"Even in the darkest nights," she had penned, "remember, you are a lighthouse amidst a stormy sea." These words, though simple, stirred something within me.

I had spent so much time feeling like the ship in the storm, I had forgotten my capacity to be the lighthouse. I realized, even amidst my internal tempest, I had the ability to emit light, to guide myself through the storm. It was a perspective I had not considered, a beacon I had ignored in my self-neglect.

The weight of my despair often felt like an unending ocean, one in which I was lost without any sight of land. "When pain feels like a vast ocean," my grandmother's diary entry continued, "remember, shores of hope exist within sight." 

I clung to these words, a lifeline amidst my storm. They reminded me of the promise of the shoreline, a symbol of resilience, a promise of a new beginning.

Yet, some nights, the storm inside me raged stronger, the waves threatened to engulf me. I felt as though I was drowning in a sea of despair. But then, I read the final line of my grandmother's entry:

"It may feel as though you're drowning in a sea of despair, but please believe, there are lifelines waiting to be reached." 

I reached out. I confided in a close friend about my storms, my vast ocean, and my intense feeling of drowning. To my surprise, they reached back. They listened, they supported, they became my lifeline.

Looking back now, I am filled with gratitude for the stormy sea that tested my strength, for the lighthouse that reminded me of my capacity to shine, and for the shores of hope that promised a new beginning. I am grateful for the lifelines I found when I reached out, for the friendships that deepened, and for the strength I discovered within me.

Life is filled with storms, but it also carries the promise of lighthouses and shores. If you find yourself lost at sea, remember, even the darkest nights cannot diminish the light within you. 

Reach out, hold on, and remember, you are stronger than the storm.