There were days when Ama could not explain what was wrong.

The sun would be shining, the birds would be singing, and life would appear perfectly normal. Yet deep inside, she felt a heaviness she could not understand. It would settle quietly upon her heart, making even the simplest tasks seem difficult.

At first, she tried to fight the feeling. She searched for reasons. Had someone offended her? Had she made a mistake? Was there bad news waiting around the corner?

But often, there was no explanation.

The feeling would come without warning and linger for hours or even days. During those moments, Ama felt alone, even when surrounded by people who loved and respected her.

One evening, after a particularly difficult day, she sat quietly on her veranda and watched the sunset. The sky was painted with shades of gold and crimson. As she gazed into the distance, she realized something important.

Not every thought that entered her mind deserved to stay.

Not every fear was a prophecy.

Not every emotion was a fact.

She began to understand that while her feelings were real, they did not have to control her life. She could acknowledge them without surrendering to them.

From that day forward, whenever the unexplained sadness appeared, Ama would pause and speak gently to herself.

"Everything will be alright."

At first, the words felt small against the storm within her. Yet she repeated them anyway.

"Everything will be alright."

She spoke to them when worry kept her awake at night.

She spoke to them when disappointment visited her heart.

She spoke to them when loneliness whispered that she was forgotten.

And slowly, something changed.

The storms still came, but they no longer frightened her. She had learned that emotions were like clouds passing across the sky. Some were dark, some were heavy, but none remained forever.

With each passing year, Ama grew stronger. Not because she never struggled, but because she had learned to trust that difficult moments would pass.

She discovered that courage was not the absence of fear or sadness. Courage was continuing to move forward even when those feelings were present.

One day, a young woman approached her and asked, "How do you remain so calm when life becomes difficult?"

Ama smiled.

She thought of all the silent battles she had fought and all the tears no one had seen.

Then she answered softly, "Whenever life becomes overwhelming, I remind myself of one thing."

"What is that?" the young woman asked.

Ama looked toward the horizon and smiled again.

"Everything will be alright."

And somehow, it always was.

More Stories You May Like

More from Abby Owusu