Presence over Distraction

This year has been heavy. I’ve said goodbye to people I love - my uncle, who I adored and cousins gone far too soon. Each loss has been another reminder of how fragile and fleeting life really is.

Grief is strange. It doesn’t follow rules. It doesn’t give you time to prepare or space to process neatly. Some days it feels heavy, like carrying an invisible weight. Other days it shows up as softness - remining me to slow down, to hold the people I love a little tighter, to cherish the time we do have.

What I’ve learned through all of this is that grief has a way of reshaping our priorities. When my mum was unwell, I poured everything into caring for her. I had no life outside of it, no distractions from the outer noise that could pull me away - and while it was one of the hardest seasons of my life, it was also the most sacred. I knew where I needed to be, and I have no regrets about the time I gave her. I wasn’t chasing the things that didn’t matter. I was simply there. It didn’t feel easy, but it was love in its purest form.

Life will always offer us a thousand things to run after. But the truth is, most of it can wait. The people we love? They cant. One day, all we’re left with are memories - and the ones that mean the most are made in the quiet moments when we choose to simply be with those who matter most.

Grief reminded me and narrows down to what really matters; it’s not the travel, the chasing, the endless to-do lists. It’s not about how much we can achieve or how far we can go. It’s about presence. It’s about being there for the people we love, while we still can.

This isn’t about grief, though grief has been my teacher. It’s about clarity. It’s about choosing love over distraction, presence over performance, and connection over constant chasing.

For me the answer has become simple:
I choose to be where my heart is.
I choose presence.
I choose love.

And if you’re reding this, maybe its a gentle reminder for you too: the most important journeys aren’t always out there in the world. They are here, in the moments we sit, stay, and love the people right in front of us.

Grief isn’t something we get over; it’s something we grow around. And in growing, we learn to live more deeply. We learn that love never leaves - it simply changes shape.