Looking back, I realize how much emotional weight sat in those moments. Not in a loud, dramatic way, but in a quiet one. The kind that settles into your bones. The kind that shapes how you move through the world.
People love to romanticize struggle. They say it builds character. They say it makes you stronger. And maybe it does. But it also leaves marks.
It leaves a deep understanding of what it means to go without. It leaves empathy for people who are still there. And sometimes, it leaves a strange guilt when life becomes easier.
Because when you’ve boiled water to take a bath, comfort can feel undeserved.
You might catch yourself thinking about the past when you turn a handle and hot water comes out instantly. You might remember the smell of steam in a cold kitchen. The careful pouring. The way everyone waited their turn.
Those memories don’t make you bitter. They make you aware.
They remind you that behind every “simple” thing is a system that not everyone has access to. That what feels basic to one person can feel like luxury to another.
And maybe that’s why images like this hit so hard.
