Missing Out on Gatherings and Feeling Helpless About It.

I Wasn’t There. Again.

It starts with a message.

"Someone passed away."
"Your cousin had a baby!"
"He’s getting married next week, wish you could come!"

And you pause.

The world you left behind…
is still moving.
Without you.

You miss festivals.
You miss funerals.
You miss babies being born.
You miss weddings: the dances, the tears, the speeches.

You try to be there.
You send money.
You send gifts.
You video call.

But in the end,
you weren’t there.

And it hurts in a very specific way.
A guilt that’s half helplessness, half heartbreak.

---

Life keeps moving, even when you’re not there.
That’s the cost of chasing something bigger.

But remember this:

You didn’t leave to abandon moments,
You left so that one day, you could afford to create them.

You’re not choosing between family and future.
You’re building a future where your family can have more.

It doesn’t make the pain go away.
But it gives it purpose.

And that?
That’s something worth holding onto.

- Akshet Patel