The Pain That Stays

I thought it would fade. That with time, it would dull, shrink, maybe even disappear. But some pains don’t listen to logic. They settle in, uninvited, making a home where I wish they wouldn’t.

On my last trek, I told myself I was past it. That I had made peace with not summiting. That the self-doubt I carried wouldn’t weigh me down anymore. But then, as I watched others push ahead with ease, the familiar sting crept back in.

It shouldn’t matter, I told myself. I made my choice. I don’t regret it.

And yet, the ache lingers. A quiet whisper reminding me of what could have been.

There is nothing to be done about the pain that persists. No fixing it, no willing it away. But I can keep moving, even with it. Even because of it.