We’ve all seen the warning etched into the passenger-side mirror: Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.
Today, I couldn’t help but wonder if my heart needed a similar reminder.
Caution: Emotions are closer than they appear.
I don’t know exactly why, but today it felt like every emotion was sitting just beneath the surface. Living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) often means navigating physical challenges, but some days the emotional weight feels just as real.
I wasn’t overwhelmingly sad, frustrated, angry, or tired. Somehow, I was all of those things, a little. It felt as though the smallest bump in the road could bring them all rushing to the surface.
Naturally, I started asking questions. Is this MS? Is it simply part of getting older? Is it the weight of life’s uncertainties or the accumulation of ordinary days that haven’t been quite so ordinary?
Or maybe there isn’t a single explanation at all.
The truth is, I’m not sure there has to be one.
Life has a way of leaving fingerprints on our hearts. Some days we carry them without noticing. Other days we suddenly become aware of just how much we’ve been holding. That doesn’t mean we’re weak. It doesn’t mean we’re failing.
It simply means we’re human.
So today, instead of demanding answers from myself, I’m choosing something different. I’m choosing grace.
If my emotions are closer than they appear, perhaps I don’t need to push them away or pretend they aren’t there. Maybe I simply need to acknowledge them, take a deep breath, and keep moving forward.
Tomorrow may feel lighter. Or it may not. Either way, I will continue the journey, trusting that even tender hearts are capable of remarkable strength.