Years of neglect finally caught up with me at 20, when I got hospitalized. It was classic gallstones. One of the stones slipped out of the bladder and led to a whole lot of complications. But don't worry, I'm not here to trouble you with my medical history.

When my veins turned blue and I was too weak to stand on my own hope… when my messy hair became the least of my problems. That's when it hit me.

Instagram is a lie. Life isn't curated or aesthetic. It's raw. Unforgiving. And to top it off, a whole bunch of people I once knew didn't particularly care about me.

It hit me that I had invested so much of my time, energy, efforts, and consistency into those who didn't show up when I needed them the most. Now, I know it's not an uncommon experience, unfortunately. Yet, any time life forces you to face its brutality, you stand numb, almost in disbelief.

I looked in the mirror after puking up a glass of juice. My eyes traced over the veins, exhausted. Mostly, I was alone. Emotionally spent and worn out in more ways than I can count.

Life's precious. I am, too. This isn't coming from a place of ego. It wasn't the end for me, but it very well could have been. While I didn't have many regrets, there was one.

I didn't keep myself accountable. I kept pouring pieces of myself, slicing my heart open for others. But you can't pour from an empty glass. And I was empty, in a million quiet ways.

"Who is your own?" In a sea of constant noise, if your life falls apart, no one is going to step in and build it up for you. If you're lucky, you might get a few cheering hands.

That's about it.

Your perspective, your dreams, and your aspirations make you human. They make you the beautiful personality that you are. Why dim your light when you can reflect it?

You need to live a life true to yourself. Nothing else really matters.

It's not going to be easy. It may not even make sense to others. But it'll be the soul food you've been starving for.

You see, writing gives my perspective what it needs. It gives me a sense of purpose. I may not have been consistent with it, but every time I return to it, it feels like a warm hug.

It's my way of saying- "I am living my life true to me."

Find something like that for yourself, too.

Nobody else is your protagonist. Nobody is your audience.

It's just you.