Pollen Allergy

Someone who never had pollen allergies experienced it for the first time in Dallas. My eyes felt terrible—bloodshot, swollen, itchy, constantly tearing up. Sticky discharge glued my eyes shut, making it hard to open them. Anytime I managed to open my eyes for a while, I had to close them again to rest. Sometimes there was even a stinging sensation, which was really uncomfortable.

Because of this, I had to stop what I was doing and lie down to rest.

Looking back at my life, I often felt like something was off in how I was living, wanting to stop—stop aimlessly wandering around at night, stop endlessly scrolling through social media—but I never could. This time, because of my eyes, I was forced to slow down. I didn’t choose this “stopping” as a way to be lazy or procrastinate; an uncontrollable external force made me pause.

Once I stopped, I began lying in bed, contemplating life and deeper questions. Of course, I was still filled with worries and concerns, but at times, a quietness emerged, prompting questions like “Who am I? Who is God?” I started with simple prayers—one or two sentences—that gradually grew longer.

With these prayers and turning towards God, the stiff and distant relationship I had with Him seemed to begin mending. A bit of peace came into my heart, and even a touch of joy.

It was a wonderful feeling.