Author: kirklandc008@gmail.com

Press enter or click to view image in full sizeThey sat two rows apart. Arham noticed first the careful way she annotated her notes, the slight furrow of concentration between her brows.In the quiet university town of Lahore, where the air carried the scent of jasmine in the evenings and the call to prayer marked the passage of hours, Arham and Zara first crossed paths in the spring of 2019. Arham was twenty-three, a final-year student of literature, reserved in manner yet intense in observation. Zara, twenty-two, studied architecture. She possessed a quiet confidence that drew attention without seeking it.…

Press enter or click to view image in full sizeImage source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12042730/Some stories do not simply entertain us. They find old rooms inside us.When I read Project Hail Mary, and later encountered the film adaptation, I expected a story of science, survival and human ingenuity. I expected the pleasure of Andy Weir’s imagination: impossible problems, clever solutions, dry humour, cosmic danger and the stubborn refusal to give up. What I did not expect was to feel something older rising in me. Something personal. Something I had carried for decades.As a very young man in South Africa, I was conscripted into…

Many people enter our lives for different reasons. Some become lifelong blessings, while others come only to take advantage of our kindness, generosity, or trust. The Bible teaches believers to love others, forgive freely, and show compassion, but it also teaches wisdom, discernment, and healthy boundaries. Loving people does not mean allowing yourself to be continually used or abused.Be Careful, Some People Come Into Your Life to Use You and Abuse You1. Not Everyone Who Comes Close to You Has Good IntentionsJesus Himself warned that not everyone who appears friendly is trustworthy.”Beware of false prophets, who come to you in…

People often think heartbreak arrives in the form of a dramatic confession. They imagine discovering undeniable betrayal , a hidden relationship, a declaration of love meant for someone else or a lie so obvious that there is no room left for doubt.It would almost be easier if it happened that way. At least then, pain would have somewhere definite to land. There would be someone to blame, a reason to walk away, a story simple enough to tell yourself over and over until you finally believed it.But some heartbreaks are infinitely more difficult because they are made up of things…

I have been in a wonderful relationship for six years. We are polyamorous and recently we have been thinking about marrying and starting a family. I think this shift should include stricter boundaries and safeguards, as carrying a child will be disproportionately taxing for me and I expect I won’t want to feel vulnerable or jealous. I also think children necessarily bring about changes in lifestyle, and I would be happy to put the promiscuity on pause. At the very least, I’d like him to steer clear of romantic connections; I’m much more open about him simply having sexual liaisons…

Berdua memang selalu terasa lebih menyenangkan.Ada kehangatan dari hal-hal kecil yang kita lakukan bersama, rutinitas yang pelan-pelan terbangun, dan rasa aman yang sempat singgah.It was comfortable, and peaceful, at least in the beginning.Ada beberapa pertanyaan yang muncul dari orang terdekatku, “how’s my life after the calmest break up?”Hmm.. masih teringat jelas malam penuh tangis itu, saat kami berdua berusaha merengkuh dan menerima kenyataan yang ada. Sejujurnya aku berpikir ini semua akan terjadi hingga berbulan-bulan. Namun perkiraanku salah.Anehnya, justru aku cukup menikmati kekosongan ini. Mungkin karena memang tidak ada luka dendam yang membekas, mungkin karena usiaku yang semakin dewasa, atau mungkin…

Sejujurnya, aku tak lagi tahu ke mana angin ini membawaku untuk tetap bertahan. Terkadang aku dibuat bertahan dengan harapan-harapan yang masih masuk akal untuk diperjuangkan. Namun terkadang juga aku dibuat menyerah seolah semua waktu dan tenaga untuk mengusahakan ini semua akan berakhir sia-sia.Tenagaku habis. Sedikit demi sedikit terkuras, hingga akhirnya tak lagi tersisa apa-apa. Rasanya seperti mayat yang dipaksa tetap berdiri. Tidak hidup, tetapi juga tak pernah benar-benar diizinkan mati. Entah berapa kali aku menyebutkan soal kematian dan hal semacamnya di tulisan ini. Aku hanya sedang menuliskan apa yang tak pernah berhasil keluar dari kepala dan hatiku. Yang tentunya tidak…

“To tie your worth to achievements is a recipe for suffering.” ~Brad Bizjack Children don’t just learn mathematics, science, and languages in school. They also learn what success feels like, what failure means, who they believe they are, and sometimes, whether they think they belong. When I was in primary school, my school introduced academic streaming. If there were four grade seven classes, the highest-performing students were placed in the first stream, followed by the second, third, and fourth streams based on academic performance. On paper, it made perfect sense. Students would learn alongside peers of similar academic ability, and…

Press enter or click to view image in full sizeNever loose hope in life. Things happen but sometimes they are for our own good. Image credits: GoogleIt could be redirection by GodIn this journey of life, we go through severe critical situations, which sometimes leave a scar on our life, we get sad, angry and we loose faith in God asking him,Why did you do this to me?Somethings are written in destiny and no matter how much ever we try to evade, we don’t have any control over it, it will happen, sometimes it’s so disheartening that you never thought any…

Hi, so it’s been a while since I’ve written anything here. Although I stopped writing on Medium, and continued to write for companies.I forgot how helpful writing is for me?!Since I struggle to explain myself because I overexplain, feel anxious, and everything all at once. I figured that, as a kid, writing is my thing.I have spent years working for different companies as a writer, then I found myself writing Ebooks, which I genuinely enjoy. But there’s a part of me that CANNOT stand peace for a long period of time.At this point, I don’t know where to even begin.…