the philosopher kierkegaard called anxiety the dizziness of freedom , that strange, spinning vertigo we feel when we suddenly realise how many futures might be waiting for us, all at once.

but gratitude and desire? they’re not opposites, they don’t cancel each other out. gratitude means being here, fully grounded in what is. desire is the pull toward what isn’t here yet. one keeps you rooted, the other pulls you forward.

this is why it can feel almost painful when things become too known. why restlessness creeps in when life stops expanding. your brain was built to grow, not to settle. this drive to keep moving outward also shapes how our sense of self expands.