I was asked to list 10 things I know to be absolutely certain. But I couldn’t just stop at 10 — because life doesn’t move in one direction. It’s not always light. It’s not always dark. It’s both. Some truths hurt. Some heal. Some make you want to give up. Others remind you why you keep going. So I wrote both.

10 negative truths that life forced me to accept, and 10 beautiful truths that keep me soft despite it all. Because that’s how life really is: a balance of the things we survive… and the things we still believe in.

      1. Life isn’t fair. Good people suffer. Bad people get away with it. Effort doesn’t always lead to success. You can do your best and still lose.

                  2. People leave — even when they promised to stay. Not all departures are dramatic. Some are just slow silences, drifting, forgetting. Some leave while still sitting right next to you.

                  3. You won’t always be rewarded for your kindness. Sometimes, people take advantage of your good heart. Sometimes, they forget it altogether. Still — be kind. For you.

                  4. Money affects almost everything. Love feels lighter when bills are paid. Dreams become delayed by survival. And sometimes, exhaustion comes not from working — but from working for not enough.

                  5. Most people are too busy to truly care. It’s not always their fault. It’s just how the world is — fast, distracted, self-preserving. Don’t wait for everyone to understand your struggle.

                  6. Grief never really ends. It just gets quieter. And lonelier. You laugh again, but it’s never the same laugh. You live again, but with someone missing.

                  7. You will outgrow people you once thought you couldn’t live without. And it will hurt. But peace comes when you stop shrinking to stay loved.

                  8. You can feel lonely even when you’re loved. Especially when you’re the strong one. Especially when you’re the one always giving.

                  9. No one’s coming to save you. You can wait, hope, pray. But at some point, you’ll realise: it’s you. You’re the rescue.

                  10. There’s no guaranteed “someday. Plans get postponed. People die. Time runs out. Say what you need to say. Love like it’s fragile — because it is.

                  1. I can rebuild — even after being broken. Not into who I was, but into someone softer, wiser, stronger. That’s still a victory.

                  2.  Small joys matter. Hot coffee on a tired morning. A text that says “made you lunch.” A cat curling beside me. These are the real riches.

                  3.  I am allowed to change my mind and my life. I am not too late. Not too much. Not too tired. Start again. Start small. Just start.

                  4.  Real love doesn’t need reminding. It shows up — not just in grand gestures, but in consistency. In staying. In listening. In remembering.

                  5.   I can find home in people, not just places. Sometimes, home is someone’s laugh. Someone who sees my tired eyes and says, “Let me carry some of that.”

                  6.   I am not my worst day. Nor my mistakes. Nor my failures. I am still becoming. Still worthy.

                  7.   My quiet presence has helped people more than I know. Just because they didn’t say it doesn’t mean it didn’t matter.

                  8.   Gratitude changes everything. It doesn’t erase the pain. But it gives me something to hold while I walk through it.

                  9.   God is in the details. In the timing. In the detours. In the people I met when I almost gave up. In the strength I found when I had none.

                  10.   I am still here. After everything — the heartbreak, the long shifts, the flights home and the flights back. I am still here. And that counts.

What are the truths you’ve learned — the ones no one warned you about? What are the small, sacred things you still believe in? Because maybe truth isn’t just heavy. Maybe it’s what sets you free.