Back in 2019, I wrote this poem during one of the hardest seasons of my life.
Titled “All of It,” it came from a place of emotional overwhelm — the kind that seeps deep into your bones and makes even the simplest things feel impossible.
At the time, everything felt like too much. The weight of life, of memory, of thought, of being.
I didn’t know then that it was possible to move through that kind of heaviness — or that I could let it pass without letting it define me.
But here I am, years later. And something incredible happened:
I recently stumbled across this poem again — and realized it was posted exactly one year to the day before my son was born.
Today, I’m in a different place.
I still have hard days. Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.
But now, I know that emotions pass. I know that joy can find its way back in.
And I know what it feels like to eat a meal and actually enjoy it — to not feel my eyes sinking into my cheeks with exhaustion or sadness.
My son has brought me more joy than I could have imagined.
He didn’t erase the hard things — but he helped me reconnect to the sweetness of life.
I’m sharing this poem today as a marker of both pain and progress.
A reminder that we can feel deeply, hurt deeply — and still grow.
November 29, 2019
The Sweetness of Life
ALL OF IT.
Why is it all so much?
To just live.
It’s overwhelming.
My mind is racing, constantly.
About you, about me, about work.
About the thing you said to me years ago.
It made me feel.
Not good about myself.
Everything makes me feel.
Not good about myself.
Why must it all cling?
Like static.
And weigh at me.
Why do I think about it at 3 in the morning?
It makes me heavy,
It makes me feel like my eyeballs are in my cheeks.
I hear ringing in the distance.
Oh wait, that’s in my head.
I wish it would stop, but it stays, Faintly.
I try to listen to your words but the words in my head are
louder.I stare blankly.
You know I’m not home.
My replies are hollow.
Meaningless.
I feel, nothing and everything.
All of it.
All at once.
It’s just too much.
If you’re currently navigating your own storm — if everything feels like too much — please know you’re not alone.
And please know that you won’t always feel this way.
Overcoming emotional overwhelm isn’t easy, but it’s possible.
Sometimes healing doesn’t look like joy right away — it just looks like breathing easier. One day. Then another.
💌 Want to stay connected?
If you’d like to know more about me, sign up for my monthly newsletter, Your Internet Pen Pal. It’s where I share honest reflections, small joys, and little reminders that you’re not alone. Subscribe!
You might also like:
A Letter to Anyone Who Feels Like They’re Struggling in Silence
Four Ways to Keep Going When Things Get Tough
Leave a Reply