The Weight of What We Carry

We spend our lives gathering things. We fill our pockets with stones, our houses with furniture, our minds with the heavy expectations of others. We think these things define us, that they are the anchors keeping us from drifting away. But there is a point where the weight becomes too much. We reach the edge of the water, the place where the solid world meets the shifting, uncertain blue. To move forward, we must drop what we hold. It is a terrifying act, this sudden lightness. We fear that without our burdens, we will simply vanish into the air. Yet, the child knows better. The child runs toward the horizon not because they are brave, but because they have not yet learned to fear the emptiness. They leave their shoes in the sand, their toys behind, and they run. What remains of us when we finally let go of everything we thought we needed?

Mira Joshi has captured this fleeting surrender in her work titled En Route. It is a quiet reminder of the distance between who we were and who we have become. Will you leave your burdens on the shore today?