Written by:

Zerayn D.

“Friends in need, are real friends indeed.”

The year’s first turbulence arrived quietly, carried by a series of triggers I could no longer ignore. I turned inward, navigating myself layer by layer, until I stood face-to-face with my giants of fear, anxiety, and the sudden twists that disrupted the story I thought I was living.

I pushed myself to the edge. I swallowed my instinct to hide and chose visibility instead. And in that exposure, the friend who once promised “support” disappeared, went lurking in the distance, retreating from me. There was a heaviness in his eyes, though he forced a smile. He laughed like a clown, his body trembling with every word, agitation leaking through his performance. I stood alone at the center of a violent whirlwind.

But there were others. Friends who never made grand promises. They simply reached out their hands and pulled me away from the chaos. They struggled and strained, their bodies twisted by the storm, yet they stayed. They endured until the whirlwind slowly unraveled. What it demanded from us was patience and it was challenging, relentless patience.

In the end, those who fought alongside me gained the same victory. We became resilient together. We held one another’s hands, guarded one another’s hearts. Our heartbeats found a shared rhythm, and our spirits ignited that they are burning with an intense, unbreakable flame.