Happily Ever After

Daily writing prompt
What’s something you used to believe as a kid that seems ridiculous now?

We grow up surrounded by Disney movies and teen rom-coms that promise us neat endings. The protagonist faces heartbreak, stumbles through challenges, and then almost magically everything falls into place. Success, love, and a perfect life all right on cue. But real life doesn’t roll the credits after the happy ending. It keeps going, with new struggles waiting just around the corner.

Life is rarely a straight path to happiness. Some days we fall and don’t get back up right away. We feel drained, exhausted, and overwhelmed, as if the world is crashing down. Yet, when we muster the courage to rise again, we taste fleeting victories — moments that remind us why we keep trying. But soon enough, another challenge appears, and the cycle begins again. Happiness isn’t permanent; it’s a series of short-lived sparks. The trick is to hold onto those sparks, to cherish them, and to share them with the people we love. When their days feel heavy, we can offer them moments of light, just as they do for us. These exchanges of joy are what make the struggle worthwhile.

If life were always happy, we’d stop appreciating it. It’s the contrast, the bitter alongside the sweet that gives happiness its meaning. The setbacks sharpen our gratitude for the good days. The heartbreaks make love more precious. The failures make success more satisfying. I may never get the “happily ever after” promised in the movies. But I’ve learned that life isn’t about one grand ending. It’s about finding happiness in the everyday — in laughter, in resilience, in love, and in the courage to keep trying.

No Unsolicited advice

Daily writing prompt
What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you?

The one thing I have learned is never to give advice where it isn’t asked. When I was younger, I never understood the point of view of those who tried to advise me. Over time, I realized that experience is the only way you truly learn to accept advice.

Don’t say, “Stay away from the fire.” Instead, say, “I got burnt, but if you still want to touch the fire, it’s up to you.” Rather than offering advice, the one thing I would tell someone is: “I am here if you need me. I’ll help you get back up if you ever fall.” or “I don’t condone what you’re doing, but I’ve got your back.”

More than anything, what my younger self needed was support. And in today’s world, I believe that support is more important than ever. With all the criticism the world throws at you — often without considering the impact it can have — life can feel cruel.

If there’s one piece of advice I would give, with the hope that anyone would listen, it’s this: “Don’t judge. It hurts more than a knife ever could.”

In the end, we don’t always need someone to tell us what to do — we need someone to remind us that we are not alone. Support, kindness, and understanding are the bridges that carry us through the fire and back into the light.

Inspirations

Daily writing prompt
Who are you most inspired by?

As a child, I probably would have named a famous person as my inspiration — someone the world had already deemed successful. Ironically, I don’t even remember those childhood idols anymore.

Today, my inspirations are not people themselves, but rather their actions. You don’t have to achieve great things in life. You don’t have to be famous or popular. A person can be an inspiration simply by standing up for what is right. A child defending a friend against bullies, a parent protecting their child’s dignity when others condemn them for low grades, a job seeker walking into an interview after being laid off, a girl demanding her right to education, a survivor holding their head high despite society’s judgment — each of these moments carries a quiet, powerful courage.

In those moments, they become an inspiration because of their pure moral strength. Their courage to keep fighting, to keep moving forward, matters more than physical strength or accolades. And in that moment, they give someone else the courage to stand up too — to face the odds, to keep fighting, even if success doesn’t come right away.

We all have weaknesses. Some are born from the people around us who broke our tiny dreams. Others come from self-doubt and criticism that tie us down, clipping the wings we once had as children. But inspiration is not about perfection. It’s about persistence. It’s about refusing to let those wounds define us.

I draw inspiration from the great actions of ordinary people I see every day. Their courage reminds me that inspiration doesn’t live in fame or fortune — it lives in the quiet strength of those who keep moving forward, no matter the odds. Inspiration is not a pedestal. It’s a spark. And sometimes, the smallest acts of courage light the brightest flames.

Day 92: Two Down, Ten to go

A new month has begun, and time feels like it’s racing past me. It seems like we just celebrated the New Year, yet here we are already in March. Everything feels like a haze sometimes—days blending into each other, moving faster than I can catch them.

Last night was rough. Pain kept me tossing and turning, and I woke up with the exhaustion that only disturbed sleep can bring. My body felt stiff, every joint creaking like old hinges. How much simpler life would be if, like in the cartoons I grew up watching, a little oil could fix the pain in my joints.

Even so, today was bearable. More than bearable, actually—I managed to do something I hadn’t done yesterday. I cooked dinner. Nothing fancy, of course—my mother had already done all the prep, and I just had to cook it. But it was more than I managed the day before, and that feels like a step in the right direction.

Today was about winding down, letting my body recover from the effort of yesterday. It felt like my system was in “recovery mode,” recharging after the stress of climbing those stairs. I hope that one day soon, I’ll have enough energy to enjoy a day out and still wake up the next morning ready to do more.

For now, I’ll take this as progress: two months down, ten more to go. One step closer to my goals than I was yesterday.

Day 83:Disconecting from Autopilot

How do people find something to write about their everyday? I find my life totally uninteresting. I am what people call boring.

Is this what adulthood looks like? A day that start with work and ends with sleep? I am embarrassed about it. I never thought much of it. I have spent months together doing nothing more than just logging on to work and closing my laptop and going to sleep. I never gave it a second thought.

I was missing out on life. I do not get to spend time with my family or my friends. I do not spend time doing things i love – like creating art. Ironically, art became a stress reliever for me rather than something that I spent time with “just because”.

Do others also feel like this? Like their life is losing its purpose. Just going through the motions day after day without any thought to the “why”.

The truth is, everyone needs something to look forward to. A reason to wake up with anticipation instead of resignation. With all the ups and downs in my life I stopped hoping. I was mechanical. . I had no bigger goals or dreams behind it.

Time to reset that part of me. I am going to try making small goals. It is what is suggested you see. Given that I have a history of not staying on course it makes sense. The small wins will encourage me to make larger ones. Hopefully.

Day 35 to Day 47 – Breaking Free and Moving Forward

New Year always brings with it resolutions. I am not the kind of person who can stick to a resolution. I always end up breaking it midway through the year. Just missing one day makes me think, “Oh no! The streak is broken. Ah well, next year then.” Over the years, I have given up on many such resolutions. So, this year I am not making any resolutions. I just want to do the things I have always wanted to do. I want to accomplish everything I have kept putting off for “when I get the time.” I want to live with no regrets.

I did stop updating my blog for some time. I think that was mostly on account of the stationery organization I mentioned before. It took me 12 days to get through all of it. Come to think of it, that is really slow, but I am glad I finally finished. Now, it’s time to get back to my blog, my art, and my bucket list.

The years I lost to my inner darkness are something I will never get back. However, going forward, I want to make the most of my life. I have let go of the toxic relationship, and I am choosing to move forward. I feel alive again. I no longer worry about expectations. I have realized that sometimes you need to take the road less travelled. It may be lonely, but it is not miserable.

By the grace of God, I have my family. They stand by me even when it is difficult for them. They don’t completely understand me, but they are still with me. I am blessed— not everyone has their family’s support, but I do. I want to live a better life, first for myself, but also for my family.

It is more challenging than it seems, but I believe I will make it. In fact, I have to make it. I will make it! I will do whatever it takes.

Day 22: Joy of Small Wins

For the first time in a year I am finally sleeping in my room. I had to shift to my sister’s room. Her room has an attached bathroom. I could not walk across the hall every time I needed to use the washroom. I used to often cry because of it.

Today I slept in my own bed. Although there was a little pain, I still could make it across the hall without falling. It felt redeeming.

Other highlights of the day, I made lunch today. I once again took my time. It felt good. I also wanted to bake some bread but I was exhausted by the cooking. As such, I choose to stop for the day. Small successes are still a success, I remind myself and then everything feels like a blessing.

Other than that I did not do much else. The weather is so cold all I want to do is curl up under my blanket and sleep.

Day 21: Slow Down

I have always loved drawing and being creative. I may not be the best at it but I still do love it.

Today I started a new art project, drawing Pokémon characters. I had remaining blank index cards from when I used to make flash cards for studying. I always wanted to use that for something but did not know what. I knew that I wanted to make it like a series but I did not know what.

I finished drawing of 10 out of the 1025 that are there on my Pokedex app. Lets see by the end of 2026 how many am I able to complete.

I always good after spending time on doing something creative. Today was by all means one of the best day that I had in a long time.

Everchanging View

Daily writing prompt
How have your political views changed over time?

Viewpoints always change. Atleast this holds true for me.

Politics was something I never paid much heed to. It was just too complicated. I believed in what I saw and heard and did not question anything.

But as I matured, those assumptions were challenged multiple times. I started noticing that nothing was ever as it seemed. The deeper I looked into issues, the more contradictions I discovered. Ideas I once thought were unquestionably right were quite different than what they seemed.

My opinions began to sway, sometimes leaning one way, then shifting to another. At first, I saw this as indecision. But over time, I realized that my understanding of the situations were getting better.

Changing viewpoints isn’t a weakness. It means you’re willing to try to understand the perplexing circumstances and admit when you need to change your perspective. My core principles like fairness and accountability have never changed but maybe the paths to it are open to debate.

In the end, I’ve learned that confidence doesn’t come from being stubborn. Rather, it comes from asking questions and understanding different aspects of the same situation.

Hard Pass

Daily writing prompt
How much would you pay to go to the moon?

Survival is one of humanity’s most basic instincts. Perhaps that’s why the idea of traveling to the Moon first came into our minds. It was an escape from a planet that we have damaged.

Yet, I don’t see myself going to the Moon. Earth, with all its environmental challenges, is still my home.

To me, going to the Moon feels less like survival and more like luxury. And luxury has always made me uneasy. Coming from a middle-class background, excess feels strange—almost wasteful.

If I had the means, I wouldn’t spend it chasing the stars. I’d rather use it to lighten someone else’s burden. Money can buy happiness for some people and I would want to do that. That, to me, feels just right. Add to that the benefit of skipping the stress of space travel and risking becoming a ball of fire in the sky.

In the end, the Moon may be fascinating, but Earth is irreplaceable. And perhaps the greatest adventure isn’t in leaving our planet—it’s in learning how to care for it, and for each other.