shefa ahsan 🌃 • new york city

I DROVE THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA ON MY OWN! 🚖

600 miles. Over 12 hours. Spotty cell service. Just me.

And I almost didn't go.

For a long time, I put other people's comfort, expectations, and opinions above my own. I stayed in conversations that exhausted me, in company that drained me, and in situations that left me feeling emptier than when I arrived.

Sometimes we think, “Should I ask someone to come with me?" Sometimes we think adventures need to be shared to be worthy.
Other times we think, “Won't it be lonely? Won't it be boring? Won't it be scary?”

But what if it becomes one of the most freeing experiences of your life?

What if you discover your own company is enough?

What if you realize how peaceful life feels when you're fully present, with no pressure to entertain anyone or be entertained?

What if you simply let yourself…exist?

Mile after mile, the windows down, just 600 miles of God's creation unfolding before me, I felt alone. I felt at peace.

But I was never lonely.

Your life changes when you build a home inside of you. When you've learned to trust your own company, your own mind becomes a place of rest. Your own heart becomes somewhere safe to return to. No matter where you are or who is (or isn't) beside you.

We spend so much of our lives believing we'll finally feel complete when the right person arrives.

But what if the person you've been waiting for all along…is you? ☀️