I used to run, now I see!

Have you ever found yourself longing for love?

But not the kind we all think of at first glance.
Not the kind that necessarily requires having someone by your side to feel it.

I’m talking about a different kind of love.

The one hidden in an unexpected breeze that gently touches your hair,
in a ray of sunlight warming your skin,
or even in a kiss between two strangers that tastes a little like alcohol.

A love that is everywhere.
And yet we are so distracted that we no longer recognize it.
We step over it every day with our commitments, our rush, our goals chasing other goals… until we leave it behind.

I have always been running.
So much that, at some point, I was completely exhausted.
Have you ever felt that pain in your side when you push too hard and your breathing isn’t right?
That’s exactly where I was — and it was there that, forced to stop, I finally started to truly see.

I was so focused on reaching a goal that I kept moving further away myself,
always pushing it a little further ahead. And while trying to reach it, I was missing everything else.

So, standing still and feeling lost…
I SAW.
I FELT.
I TASTED.

And I understood that sometimes slowing down is not a waste of time, but the only way to truly live.

There are still many things I would like to change in my professional path.
And many I desire in my (non-existent haha) love life.
But despite everything, today I can say I am grateful.

Grateful to open my eyes and see that what once seemed impossible is slowly taking shape.
Grateful to be able to see more of the beauty than the negativity.

Just yesterday, I found myself surrounded by a group of strangers who turned out to be wonderful people.
I sat at my first bonfire — something I had been wishing for a long time —
and I held a duck in my arms that reminded me of my childhood.

It may sound silly.
But in that moment, I felt rich.

Rich in simple things, the ones we tend to forget today.
And yet, they are the ones that truly fill the heart.

Because yes, it is true: money and a good life are important.
But to reach them, maybe we also need to remember why we are able to do it.

Why we are here.
Why we breathe.
Why all of this exists.

How happy were we about our first bicycle?
Our first night out with friends?
Our 18th birthday?

Being an adult doesn’t mean you’ve already experienced everything.
It doesn’t mean you stop being amazed.

We can still feel something for a coin found on the ground, for a flower blooming, for a hug from a sister, a mother’s smile, a full moon…

And maybe that is exactly where love is still hiding.

Love and happiness are not something to chase far away, but something we have simply stopped noticing up close.

And you… are you living, or are you just running?

The blonde unfiltered