What are you most proud of in your life?

OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT KINDA… 🤔

Dearest Gentle Reader,

Welcome, or Welcome Back! Your author sincerely apologizes for the rather untimely 482 day sabbatical. To this authors utter shock, today was the day an unanswered prompt appeared.

So… let’s give this thing a go- shall we!

There is a most peculiar sensation that follows the gaining of one’s independence. It is sweet, like the first sip of champagne—effervescent with pride, brimming with self-assurance.

And yet… how curious that, even in the glow of such liberty, one still feels the tug of invisible strings.

For in this modern masquerade we call social media, freedom is a performance. We craft our independence into careful displays—posted, filtered, and timed to perfection—hoping the world will applaud our courage while secretly craving its approval. We claim to care not what others think, yet check incessantly to see if they’ve noticed our indifference.

What a tangled web of contradictions we weave, when the very stage on which we flaunt our autonomy becomes the same place we seek validation. We speak of freedom while shackled to the opinions of strangers; we boast of peace while scrolling through chaos.

Ah, but do not mistake this author’s tone for condemnation. It is, rather, a reflection of the human condition—a reminder that independence of body is not the same as freedom of mind.

True liberty, dear reader, is not won by leaving others behind, but by no longer needing their applause to stand tall.

Until next time, whenever that may be… stay safe and sane out there! 💋