How Love Stretches You Thin—And You Still Show Up

 Between the Floor and the Heart

A daughter's quite strength through exhaustion, devotion, and the ache of love.

This story isn't just about hospital visits or sleepless nights-it's about what happens when love stretches you thin, yet you still choose to show up. When you wonder where your strength ends, and somehow, it doesn't.

When Sleeping on the Floor Better Than Your Own Bed

"You learn quickly how hard the floor is when it becomes your bed-again. Not out of choice, but because your aging mother is in the hospital, fighting complications, and you're the only daughter by her side. In moments like these, comfort isn't a mattress. It's being there, holding her hand, praying she sleeps through the night."

The Struggles Within Me

It happens almost every year-three to four times-she ends up at hospital bed. And I find myself driving from Kotabaru to Kandangan, my hometown, to take care for her.

At first, I told myself it's my duty as a daughter. But after a while, the fatigue sets in. My energy drains. My mental health frays. Every time she calls, speaking about her loneliness and worries, I feel a weight press down on my shoulders-a quiet heaviness that never quite lifts.

 She's battling anxiety and depression, I think. And in trying to carry her struggles, sometimes I lose sight of my own. 

A Voice on the Line

I feel overwhelmed. And the worst part? I've started to fear picking up her calls. 

Every time the phone rings, “I feet the sudden weight of worry press into me, as if the air itself had thickened.”My heart races, faster than I can control. Yet still-I answer.

I speak gentle, trying to calm her. I put myself in her shoes, searching for patience and understanding. It's never easy, but I choose love anyway. 

Learning Peace

I learning to be patience.

To be her listener, even when our conversations end in argument. To be her campanion, even when the emotional weight feels unbearable.

By nightfall, my strength is gone. My eye grow heavy. I fall asleep beneath her hospitals bed and whisper a silent hope: "I couldn't feel the floor anymore-only the ache in my spine and the prayer in my head, wishing tomorrow will brings good news". 

Before Regret Finds You

Sometimes I wonder how some people can ignore their aging parents.

Do they forget the sacrifices made to bring them into the world? The quite strength that raised them?

Once they're gone, you'll realize there's nothing that can replace them. And that emptiness- loneliness, regret-it arrives far too late.

So maybe today, you can change the outcome for later. 

Arrange a call-five to ten minutes, just two to three times a week. A simple check-in could mean everything. That samll act might carry more love than you'll ever know.

Have you ever called your parents today?
If not, maybe it's time. Before the call you want to make...can no longer be answared.

#NoeNarratives #NoeTalks

For every call answered through tears, for every night spent on the floor-this is for the daughters who keep showing up. Even when she ends up crying in silent, and no one sees the weight they carry.