20 Comments
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Ndizeye__'s avatar

This piece beautifully captures the complexity of human emotion the way joy and pain can coexist, sometimes within the same day, and how resilience quietly emerges despite it all. There’s something profoundly human and relatable in acknowledging that everyone has their own “21st hour,” yet life keeps offering moments of brightness, connection, and renewal. It reminds us that even in the hardest hours, the capacity to wake up and embrace the next day with all its small joys is a quiet form of strength worth celebrating.

Azike Prosper's avatar

Thank you so much for giving me a read 😄… such a compelling comment ✨

Georgina de Glanville's avatar

This was really well written. You captured that feeling so truthfully. It’s so easy to try and drown our sorrows for a while, but they never actually go away, and I thought your writing showed that so clearly 🌹

Lile Mo's avatar

So painful BUT so real, to breakout of this isn't easy at all because those who care don't even know

Azike Prosper's avatar

we can always count on ourselves

The Calm Riot's avatar

I was caught off guard. Very thought provoking read. This is a hauntingly precise portrait of how joy can hold the whole day hostage only to lose it all in the 21st hour, when the mind turns into a courtroom that convicts you for spilling coffee and surviving sunlight.

It speaks directly to anyone whose pain waits patiently all day just to intoxicate them at night, reminding us we’re not alone in having a daily window where everything is lost and all we can do is feel awful until morning resets the trap again.

Azike Prosper's avatar

Glad I could be of service 😁

Nobubelo Ivy's avatar

This captured functional depression very well.

The version that performs for society and the one that she has to sit with by herself.

✨ Kezia_'s avatar

That feeling which usually gets me questioning my identity and every single decision I made in life…

This reflects that so perfectly

Azike Prosper's avatar

Thank you so much for giving me a read…. I am so pleased with my self for you could find meaning in my writen words

Michelle Henkeman's avatar

There are so many who will read your words and recognize themselves, thank you for sharing this piece 🤍

KameKairos's avatar

I understand this fairly well. That back and forth duality between doing good and hating yourself because you could have done so much more is exhausting... Take a break and enjoy the final hours... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uCeM2MLqKmo

Azike Prosper's avatar

time heals all wounds….

Wildwood Dandelion's avatar

I lived like this for years til I had a full nervous system collapse. Still recovering ❤️‍🩹. I hope it gets better for you!!

Azike Prosper's avatar

i hope it gets better and better for us all

Yuni Jung's avatar

OMG, this reminds me of my first job, which I stayed in for 7 years. I hated every minute of it, though I never showed it at work. Having a job you genuinely enjoy is its own happiness, its own compensation, regardless of how much you make. Because nobody thinks, "I just made $20. Oh, and I made another $20," watching the clock tick by at work.

Schola's avatar

Oh wow😭🙌🏾Debbie reminds me of myself. When I was working as a legal officer. Nothing seemed to make me feel good at the end of the day. It was always terrible.

Strawberry Girl's avatar

Beautifully written 🌸 it reminds me a little of how having a midlife crisis might feel like.

I also get the 21st hour feeling on certain days, especially after unplanned naps🥲

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Mar 31Edited
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Azike Prosper's avatar

Thanks for giving me a read. Am pleased my writing could find such a compelling amazing audience ✨

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Mar 26
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Azike Prosper's avatar

Thank you so much for giving me a read. I believe we all have an appointed time to fall apart.