There is something so profoundly hopeful about the idea that language acts as a compass for our lost souls. When Seamus Heaney says that if you have the words, there is always a chance you will find the way, he is reminding us that expression is the first step toward navigation. Sometimes, we feel stuck in a thick, silent fog where every direction looks identical and every path feels blocked. In those moments, the silence can feel heavy, almost suffocating. But the moment we find a way to name our fear, our longing, or our confusion, the fog begins to thin. Naming a thing gives it boundaries, and once a thing has boundaries, it becomes something we can work with, move around, or eventually walk through.

In our everyday lives, this often shows up in the way we handle our deepest struggles. We might go through days feeling a vague, overwhelming sense of dread that we can't quite pin down. It is easy to feel defeated by a shadow that has no shape. However, the second we pick up a pen or sit down with a friend and say, 'I feel lonely,' or 'I feel overwhelmed by my responsibilities,' the landscape changes. The words act as tiny lanterns in the dark. They don't instantly solve the problem, but they illuminate the terrain enough for us to see where the next step might be. The struggle doesn't disappear, but it becomes a path rather than a wall.

I remember a time when I felt quite lost myself, sitting in my little corner of the pond, feeling like I had lost my sense of purpose. I couldn't explain why I felt so adrift. I just felt a heavy weight in my chest. It wasn't until I started writing down my thoughts every morning—even if they were just messy, fragmented sentences—that I began to see patterns. I realized I wasn't just sad; I was grieving a version of myself that I thought I had lost. By finding the words for that grief, I found the way back to my joy. The words didn't fix my life overnight, but they gave me a map to follow.

So, if you are currently feeling stuck or wandering through a season of uncertainty, please don't be afraid of the silence, but don't let it swallow you either. Try to reach for your words. Whether it is through journaling, talking to a loved one, or even just whispering your truths to the stars, keep searching for the vocabulary of your heart. As long as you can name where you are, you are already on your way to finding where you need to be. Take a deep breath and try to write just one sentence about how you feel today. You might be surprised at how much light that single sentence can bring.