The road goes on…
I’ve been on this road before. I know the direction and the view around the corner. I know if I keep going, where I’ll end up. I know that there’s a small path, there, hidden in the bushes, and I know it leads to a quiet little clearing at the base of a tiny valley within a cluster of small hills.
And yet…
It feels different today.
It could be the color of the leaves as they turn lighter hues and shine golden in the sunlight, or the cool breeze that plays within the trees, tossing leaves off their branches, and sweeping them along.
It could be me, the fact that I’m different. My heart, a little heavier, my steps not quite so hurried as I wander a little more. Even with the fresh air, my chest weighs down on me and every breath is a focused choice towards life itself.
It’s harder to take the next step, because even though I know where this road goes, all I feel is the weight of the journey, the fact that I have to continue to walk, one step at a time… I walk.
It was easier before when you were here. I wasn’t alone. You’d talk about what used to be, how this road used to look. What it was like to walk along a dirt path. You showed me the way to the small clearing that now I prefer to walk past. You’d talk about the seasons, and the animals, and the wonder in life itself. I’d ask…
