Etched in Blue

In a world that often urges us to move on quickly, to numb, to brighten what aches—I’ve chosen instead to listen. To let sadness speak. What follows is a love letter to this emotion we’re taught to fear, but which has shaped me in the most unexpected and necessary ways. This is for anyone who has sat in silence with their sorrow and discovered, in its quiet depth, the contours of their own soul.

Sadness, you are now and forever my closest companion. Your haunting beauty is etched into the chambers of my heart like no other. You've walked beside me through the wild terrain of love and loss, gently dismantling the walls I once built to keep the world at a distance.

You see me with unflinching eyes, and in your presence, I break open—not to fall apart, but to let the light in. The pain you bring is vast, sacred—it shakes the mountains within me so that sunlight can finally pour into the hollows of my chest.

There are no words that could ever repay the gift of your fierce devotion. So instead, I will honour you with brushstrokes, with stories woven in color and shadow. Let my voice be the thread that binds my heart to others, so we may meet you not only in sorrow, but in the depth of our shared humanity.

Sadness—my teacher, my friend—you are the quiet current that runs through the river of my love for this life. Through you, I remember how to feel, how to transform, and how to create beauty from the ache.