Ameer discovers himself

The beach stretched endlessly before Ameer, its silence broken only by the gentle crashing of waves. Being a lifeguard on such a lonely stretch of shore offered him time — an endless stream of hours to think, reflect, and, at times, feel lost. At twenty-three, Ameer wrestled with an overwhelming sense of aimlessness. He had taken the job for the solitude, but lately, the solitude felt more like a mirror reflecting everything he wanted to avoid about himself.

One day, while scrolling mindlessly through his phone, he stumbled upon a video about yoga. The instructor spoke of clarity, balance, and self-awareness — concepts Ameer didn’t fully grasp but deeply craved. On a whim, he decided to give it a try.

That evening, as the sun dipped low on the horizon and painted the beach in hues of gold and orange, Ameer rolled out an old beach towel in the sand. Awkwardly mimicking the poses he had seen, he felt his body stretch in ways it hadn’t before. The movements felt strange, almost unnatural, but for the first time in weeks, his mind was quieter.

Day by day, yoga became a part of his routine. With each session, Ameer began to notice subtle changes — not just in his flexibility but in his thoughts. He started asking himself questions he had long avoided: 

Why had he chosen to work here? 

What did he truly want from life? 

What was holding him back?

As he sat in stillness after each session, the answers slowly emerged. The beach, once a symbol of his isolation, now became a place of discovery. He realized that he had chosen the quiet not to escape the world, but to find himself.

Yoga taught Ameer to be present. He began setting small goals: swimming farther than before, sketching scenes from his day, and even striking up conversations with the occasional visitor to the beach. Each step, however small, felt like progress.

One evening, as he sat on the guard tower with his face toward the setting sun, Ameer smiled. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t looking for an escape. He was exactly where he needed to be — on a path of self-awareness, surrounded by the stillness of the beach and the rhythm of his breath.