When the Fall feels Final

I stumbled. Hard. And maybe I haven’t fully recovered from its effect on me.

Most of the words of encouragement I’ve seen, and even the ones shared by me, talk about how stumbling is normal. That is part of the process. That everyone does it. But no one ever says what to do when the stumble feels like a crash. When it feels less like a bump in the road and more like the road disappears beneath your feet.

For me, stumbling meant coming to a hard stop in life. Or maybe it's better to say I ran into an obstacle while trying to figure this whole life thing out. It wasn't graceful or poetic. It was confusing. It hurt. And in the silence that followed, I didn’t know what to do with myself.

But here’s what I’m learning: stumbling isn’t the end. It's not even the middle. It’s just a part of the story. And what matters most isn’t how hard we fall, but what we choose to believe in the middle of the ache. That even here, right here, I am still worthy of kindness. I am still allowed to take my time. I am still growing.

If you’ve stumbled too, I hope you remember that you’re not broken. You’re becoming. And becoming one takes time.

All my love,

Olamide from MANI