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Why Does Life Feel So Hard? | What to Let Go, What to Keep

By행복으로 가는 길

Let go of complaints, keep breath·gratitude·love.

Connecting the Dots

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.”

— Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Speech (2005)

When Everything Feels Like It’s Falling Apart

Why Does It Always Feel Like It’s Just Me?

Every time I decide to start working out, it rains.

The moment I commit to a diet, someone invites me to a buffet.

On the most important days, my body just won’t cooperate.

And when I finally make time to see a friend,

she’s out of the country.

These oddly timed misalignments happen so often,

they almost feel like part of my routine.

When my kids were younger, they were always getting sick.

They missed school constantly.

And just when things started to calm down,

the school lunch program ran into issues—

so I was back to packing lunches every morning.

There was never a moment to breathe.

In the middle of it all,

my back gave out.

I spent more days lying down than standing.

And then one day, the shower door shattered while I was bathing.

I ended up in the hospital, covered in cuts.

Eventually, the kids grew up.

We became a little more financially stable.

And for the first time, it felt like maybe—just maybe—

I could finally have a bit of time for myself.

And then… what now?

Breast cancer.

I didn’t even have the energy to be shocked.

I just… accepted it.

When Everyone Else Seems Fine

Everyone else seems okay.

They look healthy, composed, content—

like life just flows for them.

And that’s when the question creeps in:

Why does it always feel like it’s just me?

Why does everything seem to fall apart in my world?

People say,

“That’s life. You’re not the only one.”

And I know they’re right.

Everyone carries invisible burdens.

But still,

those words don’t quite reach

the quiet sorrow I carry.

Even with all this understanding,

the question lingers:

Why me?

Some people move through life silently.

Others collapse in silence.

This, they say, is what life is—

and I try to make peace with that.

But some days,

it’s just not easy.

A Shift in Perspective Changes Everything

And then I wonder:

Maybe the very things I’m struggling with

are the things someone else is praying for.

I remember a scene from a drama I once watched—

a man whose girlfriend was terminally ill said:

“I want to grow old with you.

To argue about squeezing the toothpaste from the end of the tube.

To sulk when you forget our anniversary.

To complain about the kids driving us nuts.

I want that ordinary life with you.”

Why do we take what we have for granted,

and always see what others have

as bigger, better, more beautiful?

A COVID patient who had once been on oxygen said,

“I never realized how expensive the air I used to breathe for free really was.”

Gratitude has no end—

but neither does complaint.

This Has Always Been a Path Toward Happiness

Breast cancer? I faced it.

I had the surgery. I take the meds.

If I can just prevent a recurrence, I’ll be okay.

As for the side effects?

I’ll deal with them.

Just five more years.

That’s all I need.

So even when I’m worn out,

I try not to let it crush me.

Because just being here—

breathing,

living,

and being beside the people I love—

that, in itself, is reason enough

to be thankful.

To find joy.

Yes, I still feel anxious sometimes.

There are days when fear finds me.

But even then,

I choose to carry that fear with me.

And someday, when I look back,

I believe I’ll see that this road I’m walking now

was always, in its own quiet way,

a path toward happiness.

🌿 Find Happy Way — The Road to Happiness

May today’s reflection offer you
a breath of calm and a moment of rest.
More writings and resources can be found below:

👉 https://linktr.ee/findhappyway

© Glory Kim. All Rights Reserved.
This essay is protected by copyright law.
Unauthorized reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

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