There are moments in life when all we seek to do is help, to lend a hand where we believe we can make a difference. We go all out, with open hearts, believing that kindness can ease life's most turbulent moments. But then, the situations we tried to soothe become more unsettled, and the challenges we hoped to lessen begin to stir deeper within us.
I have been there, in that place
where my best intentions met resistance, where every effort seemed to backfire,
and where the very act of care invited chaos. I watched the tides change, not
because I lacked sincerity, but because sometimes life does not reward clarity.
It tests it. In those moments, I felt the ground move beneath me. I went cold,
turned numb, and found myself retreating into silence.
It is in such upheavals that the
soul questions its foundations. You begin to wonder if the world you built in
trust was only a mirage. You question the meanings you held dear, the people
you believed in, even the values that once anchored you. It is a strange thing,
this quiet undoing. It comes without noise but leaves you bare, searching for
the strength to face yourself again.
Yet perhaps retreat is not
failure. Maybe it is the body’s way of healing, the spirit’s way of indicating
that something inside needs attention. The danger is not in taking time away;
it is in never coming back. Growth is measured not just by enduring difficulty,
but by how thoughtfully we rebuild afterwards. To retreat is to pause, to
adjust, and to rediscover the steady beat beneath life's clamour.
When we learn to retreat rightly,
we do not vanish; we renew. We do not lose faith; we rediscover what is worth
believing in. Sometimes we must sit in the ruins to understand what is meant to
remain. And when the heart is ready, when the numbness begins to thaw, we rise
again, quieter, slower, but stronger.
For every upheaval, there is a
retreat that can restore us, if we allow ourselves the space to recover.
Nugget: Retreat is not the end of the journey; it is the pause where strength remembers its name.
Great piece!
ReplyDeleteHaving clarity of purpose is not enough. As you rightly put it “Sometimes life does not reward clarity. It tests it.”
You may think you have everything figured out by having a plan, purpose and direction but it may not be enough because of the “unseen” hand which is “reality.” To always succeed you must be able to control your self and your immediate environment
Thank you, @Anon. This is a very rich perspective, and I agree that ownership of our environment is critical, even in the maze.
DeleteRetreat no be failure — na just small break wey give you chance to heal, reason well, and come back stronger.
ReplyDelete@Igwe Osita One, this is very apt!!!
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