Issue 16 – Emotional Roadworks Ahead
Or: When the Universe Puts Up Yet Another Roadblock
I couldn’t help but wonder…
Are knockbacks just the emotional version of a red light?
Frustrating, exhausting, badly timed — but maybe still necessary.
Because lately, life feels like one big commute. You’ve got your Oyster topped up, your playlist queued, your Blank Street iced matcha in hand… and just when you think you’re cruising? Boom. Signal failure. Delays. Planned engineering works on your mood.
The thing about living in this city — or just trying to pass as a functioning adult anywhere — is that roadblocks are universal. A missed LinkedIn connection that could’ve been “the one,” a flat share with people who think washing-up liquid is optional, another endless cycle of swipes and matches that never leave the chat.
And the burnout? Oh, she’s real. Some days, even replying “yeah not bad, you?” feels like climbing Kilimanjaro. It’s not that we don’t care — it’s that we’re tired. Tired of pushing through, tired of always being “resilient,” tired of pretending we enjoy detours.
But here’s the gag: every knockback, every roadblock, every little “no” — it forces us to pause. To stop speeding ahead without noticing what’s around us. Sometimes, the red light saves you from a bigger crash. Sometimes, the diversion shows you a cuter route. Sometimes, you stumble into a new brunch spot, a coffee house, or even a plant shop you definitely don’t need — all because your usual street was closed.
So maybe knockbacks aren’t signs that we’re failing. Maybe they’re proof we’re moving. That we’re trying. That we’re in the game, even if it feels like the winner takes it all.
Because burnout happens when you forget that rest is part of the journey. That you’re allowed to stop at the service station, grab the meal deal, and breathe. Sometimes that journey we’re taking needs to be away from it all for just a moment.
Life will keep throwing roadblocks — that’s the city, that’s adulthood, that’s just… being human. But the traffic always clears eventually. The lights always turn green. And when they do, you realise you’re still moving forward, playlist on repeat, iced banana bread matcha in hand. (You did it again Blank Street!)
And just like that… even the detours become part of the story.