Finding The Light (#MissedMilestones Contest)

Finding The Light #MissedMilestones

Darkness crept into every corner of the room. For well over a year, it's been much of the same. That inescapable sense of hopelessness had dug its way into Keyshawn's heart, and it felt as if he'd never truly be rid of it. As he pulled the covers back over his head and waited for sleep to take him once more, his eyes fixated on a crack of light emitting from the bathroom.

He blinked away that feeling—we all know the one—the one where it feels as if your eyelids are two magnets pulling toward one another. The small crack creaked opened, and the light did what it could to push the darkness away. It flew wide open and out stepped Thomas.

He looked toward Keyshawn. "Hey, buddy." A gentle smile crawled across his face. "One of those days?"

All Keyshawn could respond with was a nod.

"You forget where we are?" Thomas said as he headed toward the curtains.

Keyshawn sat up. "Where we are? Home—like always."

Thomas looked back and smiled at Keyshawn before pulling back the curtains. The sudden burst of light shot all the darkness back into the room's deepest recesses. For a moment, everything seemed okay again. This wasn't home—this was something completely different.

Keyshawn rolled out of bed and stared at the tropical paradise. The trees rustled in the wind, and the waves from the sea crashed against the sandy shore. The view practically smiled back at him. He had to fight back the tears as he realized where he really was—

Paradise.

Names were changed, but the meaning behind the words remain the same. Saying 2020 and 2021 had their fair share of #MissedMilestones is an understatement.

I hoped desperately that the magic that would sprout up around Christmas time each year would make a positive change, only to find that Christmas—didn't really feel like Christmas when you have no loved ones to spend it with.

Missing the birth of my nephew struck my family more than words could ever say.

Being unable to hold onto a three year relationship because the distance and restrictions kept us from being with each other for anniversaries, birthdays, and a whole lot more. You might as well stomp on my heart.

Watching the crushing isolation take its toll on my loved ones to the point that the depression became too much to bare...

These aren't just my experiences. They're the experiences of so many others, but the fear of trying to keep your best friends holding on is the hardest thing.

I want to turn those #MissedMilestones into a week-long party.
Birthdays with new friends on the beach.
Making new friends over drinks.
Soaking in the bright rays of the sun.
All with my best friend at my side. 

Not only as a reminder to me, but for him as well—things may seem dark now, but there will always be a brighter day.

#MissedMilestones