Awakenings

A predominant feeling of gratitude.

By Cristina Schek

Awakenings | A predominant feeling of gratitude is a multimedia series of self-portraits and videos, exploring what it means to return to yourself, to choose authenticity, and to live with intention.

There’s a beautiful book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, written by a caretaker who spent years with terminal patients. In it, the most common regret expressed was this: “I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”

And yet, so many of us find ourselves living in ways that don’t quite match our inner desires. Day by day, as we push aside what truly lights us up, those dreams quietly drift further away.

When we’re young, we often follow the crowd, doing what’s expected, leaving our dreams behind because they’re seen as less important. Over time, we grow busier with responsibilities, and our dreams get buried under the weight of day-to-day life.

Please note: To watch the videos in high definition, click on PLAY, then go to Settings (located in the bottom right corner), and adjust the Quality to 1080 HD.

Years pass, and one day, you find yourself looking back, realizing that you’ve done everything “right” according to the world — but somewhere along the way, you forgot about the dreams that once felt so alive in your heart.

The loss of those dreams isn’t sudden or dramatic. It happens quietly, like the fading echo of something once deeply felt.

But here’s the hopeful truth: it’s never too late to breathe new life into those dreams.

Like a caterpillar shedding its old skin, we too can let go of what’s holding us back, emerging with a newfound sense of purpose and vibrancy.

Every step we take toward living authentically is like the delicate flutter of butterfly wings, reminding us that the beauty of life is in its transformation.

As time moves gently, each small, purposeful step toward who we truly are draws us closer to the life we’ve always wanted, a life filled with warmth, wonder, and self-discovery.