illphated

Sayin’ It’s One Thing… Feelin’ It’s Another
By Illphated

They all had their say.

“Go to school.”
“Get a real job.”
“Don’t waste your talent.”
“Settle down.”
“Smile more.”
“Stop dreaming.”

And maybe they meant well. Or maybe they just liked the sound of their own voices. But every time someone laid out the blueprint for how I was supposed to live, it felt like a coat that didn’t fit—too tight around the ribs, stitched with someone else’s thread.

I tried. God, I tried. I nodded when I was told to nod. I followed the maps others handed me, thinking maybe they knew something I didn’t. Maybe their way would quiet the noise inside me.

But the more I followed, the louder it got.

That gnawing, aching pulse in my chest that said: No. This isn’t it.

They’d say, “You’ve got a good thing going!”
But it felt like dying slow.
They’d say, “Don’t throw away stability!”
But it felt like throwing away my soul.
They’d say, “You should be grateful.”
And I was. But I was also hungry.

Not for fame. Not for money.
For truth. For something real.
For that quiet spark that flickers when you’re walking your own road—even if nobody else can see the light.

So I stopped sayin’ yes to what didn’t feel right. I stopped explaining myself to people who never tried to understand. I let my feelings be the compass. Even when they led me into storms. Especially then.

Now I wake up and breathe deep. I chase sunsets like they owe me nothing and give me everything. I say less and feel more. I write. I wander. I build what I believe in, even if it ain’t on anyone else’s blueprint.

And when someone tells me what I should do, I just smile and tip my hat.

Because sayin’ it’s one thing…

Feelin’ it’s another.

—
illphated.com
Truth from the edge. Stay wild.

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