Those could-have-beens, oh well, me back then, saying nothing, that broken pen I was, afraid of leaking ink on trying just to say something, which… could have changed my life. Simplifying the way I did things later on. Staying in the good mood instead of back to grey.
But hey, I’d not have seen the obstacles on my way I’m writing here about. Now that I’m back on that track after a few roundabouts, I can’t hop into a parallel universe to also live that life from day 1, only from day 7633 or something.
This is brilliant, Eleni. This especially knocked me over the head: “She’s a phantom limb. An ache for a version of yourself that never got to exist. Made entirely of could-have-been.” At sixty-one, I have this. And what I fear is that I will disappoint my eighty-year old self by not existing to my fullest. Thank you for sharing such wise words!!
That “phantom limb” awareness you describe is the moment self-betrayal becomes impossible to ignore. And the fear of disappointing our future self is often the most honest compass we have, don’t you agree?
Great piece. I can't escape thinking of the Stoic idea of the obstacle becoming the way when I read "You can’t control the wound. But you can control what grows from it, an armor that keeps the world out, or a strength that finally lets you step into it.".
You're brilliance has no limits.
You’re always very kind ☺️
Those could-have-beens, oh well, me back then, saying nothing, that broken pen I was, afraid of leaking ink on trying just to say something, which… could have changed my life. Simplifying the way I did things later on. Staying in the good mood instead of back to grey.
But hey, I’d not have seen the obstacles on my way I’m writing here about. Now that I’m back on that track after a few roundabouts, I can’t hop into a parallel universe to also live that life from day 1, only from day 7633 or something.
That’s beautiful, thank you Daniela ☺️
Absolutely loved reading this. Thank you Eleni
That gives me joy, thank you for reading ☺️
This is brilliant, Eleni. This especially knocked me over the head: “She’s a phantom limb. An ache for a version of yourself that never got to exist. Made entirely of could-have-been.” At sixty-one, I have this. And what I fear is that I will disappoint my eighty-year old self by not existing to my fullest. Thank you for sharing such wise words!!
That “phantom limb” awareness you describe is the moment self-betrayal becomes impossible to ignore. And the fear of disappointing our future self is often the most honest compass we have, don’t you agree?
Absolutely. Wishing I would have had my future self in mind during my twenties. But, hey—better late than never!
Great piece. I can't escape thinking of the Stoic idea of the obstacle becoming the way when I read "You can’t control the wound. But you can control what grows from it, an armor that keeps the world out, or a strength that finally lets you step into it.".
I like the way you put it Dennis. The wound marks the moment, the growth decides the path. Thank you 😊