The Hallway (Ursula's Story)

It's day 191 of documenting 2025.

What a day! 😮‍💨

It was draining, moving from one class to another, sitting in one spot marking exam papers and repeating the same process again.

I got home by evening time and soon enough, passed out on the bed.

It seems evenings/ nights are more convenient for me to publish the blog posts.

Right now, it's 8:15pm as I'm typing this.

Doesn't matter tho....cos you're reading it now.

Let's get into Highlights first...and then I'll share a fiction story of the rising character, Ursula.

365 Days With Self-discipline 

📌 On Futile Determination 

"If any man is able to convince me and show me that I do not think or act right, I will gladly change; for I seek the truth by which no man was ever injured. 

But he is injured who abides in his error and ignorance."

Quote by Marcus Aurelius

(You probably know who this guy is...)

Determination can change your life, but it can also lead to a lot of wasted time if you stubbornly keep going when everyone around you who’s knowledgeable about the goal you want to reach tells you that you’re following the wrong path.

Obviously, if the only people who are trying to convince you that you’re wrong have no idea about what you’re doing, you can safely ignore their advice.

If, however, people who have reached the goals you’re striving to achieve are trying to correct your ways, heed their advice.

If you want to save yourself from unnecessary failures, be open to feedback from people who have achieved the goals you’d like to reach. 

Don’t abide in error and ignorance, digging for gold like a mad man where hundreds of people had dug before you and didn’t find anything.

Food for thought 😌

Something to ponder on as well ask the question,

"Am I determined in a stubborn way?"

Only you will know the answer to that question.

Fiction time! 😁

It's a short story really, about particular theme.

Can you guess what the story is trying to say?

Oh! My bad...

You have to read it first.

Title: The Hallway

Ursula stands in the hallway of her apartment, barefoot, cradling a warm mug she hasn’t sipped in minutes. 

The tea is cold now, like most things lately. 

Not dead. Just paused.

She isn’t who she used to be.

She’s not quite who she’s becoming either.

This hallway feels like a metaphor; the stretch between a door that’s closed and one that hasn’t opened yet. 

A space where she’s no longer tethered to the past, but not yet held by the future. 

No one really talks about this part. The awkward middle. 

The holy hush between “I’m done with that” and “I’m not there yet.”

Behind her is a version of herself she doesn’t hate, but knows she’s outgrown. 

That girl survived some dark days. 

She learned how to kneel when the world crumbled. 

She prayed through pain no one saw, healed from wounds without applause, and kept showing up when her heart wasn’t in it. 

That version of her; the one behind the closed door, deserves respect.

Not a return.

Ahead? She sees glimpses. 

Dreams scribbled in old journals. Visions of peace not tied to productivity. 

A life filled with meaning. 

A version of herself who doesn’t perform to be accepted, but simply exists; grounded and enough.

Still, she knows the truth:

Visions don’t build themselves.

So in the hallway, Ursula lays bricks.

Not physical ones; internal ones.

Better thoughts. 

Consistent habits. 

Higher standards. 

She roots herself in God. 

Not just when things fall apart, but as a rhythm, a lifestyle. 

She’s raising her baseline; even when the ground under her feet feels shaky.

Most days are quiet. 

Some are painfully still.

But that’s what healing sounds like 

Not hustle. Not noise.

Just sacred silence.

No one sees the work she’s doing.

The pruning. The rebuilding. 

The unbecoming.

But she sees it. God sees it.

She still has days when she wants to run back; to who she was, what was familiar, what felt safe. 

Some mornings, the future feels too far, and the hallway starts to echo with doubt. 

But then she reminds herself:

The hallway isn’t punishment.

It’s preparation.

So she stays. She breathes.

She journals.

She lays one more brick.

Because if she doesn’t fight now…

If she doesn’t heal now…

If she doesn’t believe now…

The future won’t wait for her to catch up.

So she stays in the hallway.

Not stuck.

Just becoming.

That's the story, my friend ☺️ 

What do you think?

Kindly let me know in the comments....I would love to hear from you.

That would be all for today.

Thank you for reading 🎀 

Although I initially intended to stop writing, I reminded myself why I even started.

To document every moment in this year.

The highs...and the lows.

I'm definitely in one of the lows now...but I show up anyway.

Because at this point, this blog is the only constant thing in my life amidst all the chaos.

I don't want to lose that either.

So, if you found this post and you read till this point, thanks once again....and I wish you all the best 💜

I'm Duon Ada.

I'm documenting 2025,

And I'll see you tomorrow.

Ciao 💕