𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗥𝗬: "Whirlwind Thoughts" by Khate Ashley Zaneah D. Castillo

Layout by: Misha Mikylla Sanchez

Published by: John Kurt Gabriel Reyes

Date Published: February 13, 2025

Time Published: 3:09 PM

Category: Prose

Subject: Finding presence amidst uncertainty

"𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯, 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨."

Like a hummingbird, wings a blur, darting from flower to flower. It drinks nectar and then zooms off again as its tiny brain calculates the next bloom.

Envision this hummingbird flying around this intensely colorful flower and beating its minuscule heart a thousand miles per minute. So preoccupied with what the next "nectar" is—𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦—we lose the experiences and moments that are unfolding in the present.

We get so mired in anxieties about tomorrow that we forget to stay present and seize the moment to appreciate and indulge in it.

That might be the case. I've felt it repeatedly and I know it deep inside. Not once or twice, but multiple times.

Sometimes it feels like we’re caught in a whirlwind, walking around with all our thoughts reeling about what the future holds.

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴?"

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵?"

It’s like looking through a foggy window and only seeing shadows of possibilities. But 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 in worrying about tomorrow?

There may be some truth to that, mayhap. Worrying about what's ahead sometimes acts as a 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘵; we can brace ourselves for the things we dread. It's like shielding ourselves from the storm before it hits, hoping that by thinking ahead, we might prevent the chaos we fear.

But... 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩. It is a time of wild moments, sometimes full of excitement, perhaps, but agony and, oh—yes—that lurking fear is heavy.

Do you know that knot that forms in the pit of your stomach when you get the feeling everything might just come crashing down around you?

Well, that's the scary part.

𝘋𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘨, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺.

I can't stand it.

IMAGE SOURCE:

Pinterest. (2025, February 2). Heather Core. Pinterest. https://pin.it/1ORUoVLip