A Return to Sharing, Inspired by My Father. 

I used to be very active on social media and on my blog, sharing stories, reflections, and moments from my life. Over the years, I stepped back. I needed rest. I needed space. And slowly, I became more guarded, sharing only on a “need to know” basis. There were many reasons for this pause. Tiredness. Demotivation. Hurtful comments that came from envy and resentment rather than kindness. You know, you can say negative things about someone behind their back, but sooner or later, those words find their way back to the person. 

Even with genuine friends encouraging me to return, I felt too weak at the time to face it all again. It especially stung when unkind words came from people I thought were close. I shared with the intention to inspire, never to make anyone feel “less than.” Yet that was how some chose to receive it. For me, writing and creating digital content were a form of therapy. They were a way to process my thoughts, to make sense of my experiences, and to nurture my own mental happiness. When I wrote, I felt lighter. When I shared, I felt connected. That was my reward.

This journey actually began in 1998, when my father gave me my very first computer. I started an old blog that year, a simple space to write and reflect during a difficult time in my life. Later, I deleted that original blog and started a new one in 2000, which grew over the years before being neglected for a long time. Through it all, one thing remained constant: my dad’s belief that I needed an outlet. He saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself at the time. He believed that writing could be a safe space for me, a place to pour out my heart and find clarity. He was right. That simple act of giving me a computer opened a door that has stayed with me ever since. Thank you, Dad. ❤️

It was not just blogging. It was creating. I started with my poems, then moved into designing graphics, dabbling in web design, and eventually creating short stories in video form on Instagram and Facebook. Each new medium was another way to express what words alone could not capture. Each creation was a small act of joy, a reminder that I could make something beautiful out of my thoughts and feelings. With time and distance, something has shifted in me. I have come to realise that their reaction is their story, not mine. Their jealousy, their insecurity, their need to compare…these belong to them. My life, my journey, and my reasons for sharing belong to me.

Now, after the passing of my dad, something inside me has been activated again. The need to write. The need to create. The need to share. Grief has a way of stripping away what is unnecessary and revealing what truly matters. And what matters to me is this: to honour my father’s memory, to keep his love alive in the words I write and the things I make, and to find my own sense of peace in the act of creating.

None of us are dealt a “bad card” in life. What I have may not be what you have, and what you have may not be what I have. Each of us carries a unique set of gifts, challenges, and blessings. It is sad when people focus only on what they do not have, and allow envy to grow in that space. But there is another way. It is so much lighter, and so much more beautiful, to choose genuine happiness for others. Not just the kind we show outwardly, or say in words, but the kind we truly feel in our hearts. When you are genuinely happy for someone else’s good fortune, you open your own heart to receive blessings too. They may not come in the same form, but they will come.

I believe that God has blessed everyone, just in different ways. Some blessings are visible: health, wealth, family, success, stability. Others are quiet and unseen: resilience, kindness, a gentle spirit, the ability to love deeply after loss. What matters is not comparing our cards, but playing the hand we’ve been given with grace and gratitude.

Happiness is a journey and a choice, not a destination. It is found in small moments: a walk in nature, a heartfelt conversation, a memory that makes us smile, a story shared with the hope of inspiring someone else. It is found when we release comparison, when we celebrate others without keeping score, and when we remember that our worth is not defined by what others say or think.

As I return to this space, I do so with a lighter heart. I share not to impress, not to prove, not to build anything, but to connect and to heal. To say: You are not alone. Your journey matters. Your blessings matter. And to remind myself, and perhaps you too, that joy is always available, if we choose it.

Always remember: happiness is a journey and a choice. Choose it today. And then choose it again tomorrow. Thank you, Dad, for the computer, for the belief, and for the gift of words, and for inspiring a lifetime of creating. This return is for you. ❤️❤️❤️

– Nur Diyanah Magness –