The Stories Between the Smiles

 

During one of our gatherings, I was sharing a story about something that happened in my life. My friend raised his eyebrow and said, “Your life is quite dramatic, you know”. I laughed and thought for a while, maybe it is. But maybe it’s also how I choose to see it. People often see the pictures I post, the smiles, the bright days, the pieces that look like everything’s going well. They assume my life is smooth sailing. But the truth is, every smile has its story, and every “perfect” moment probably came after a storm.

I don’t hide my pain. I just choose to see it differently. I make jokes about the chaos, talk about my struggles with a little humor, because that’s how I remind myself it’s okay. That even when things fall apart, I can still find light peeking through the cracks. Life isn’t always easy, but I’ve learned that how we think, how we frame each experience, shapes the way we live. So I choose to look from a better angle, to see lessons instead of losses, to turn pain into perspective.

Maybe the drama, the laughter and the healing, they all belong in the same story. And that story, somehow, makes my life uniquely beautiful in its own way.