Quiet Bloom

By Mishthi, B.A. Journalism Honours

Edited and designed by Nandana

Flourishing where no one is watching.

The realization wasn’t sudden; it was a quiet hum in the back of my mind that grew louder with every unanswered call, every empty chair at a table I used to fill with laughter. I was the only one left.

The mirror didn’t lie. It showed me the cracks I’d hidden, the quiet ache of carrying myself through every storm, every loss. I searched the reflection, hoping to see someone behind me, anyone, but there was only me, standing alone in a stillness I had tried so hard to avoid.

For a moment, I hated it. The weight of being my own savior, my own comfort, my own friend. But then I looked closer. I saw the strength etched in every scar, the fire still flickering in my tired eyes. I realized I wasn’t just all I had ㅡ I was all I needed.

There was a bittersweet kind of peace in that thought. I wasn’t alone because I was unloved; I was alone because I was strong enough to stand. And in that moment, I decided that being mine was enough.

(bonus graphic)