"once upon a time, there was a girl at a crossroads. two highways stretched before her, endlessly. all she had was a backpack. everyone was shouting in her head, some trying to drag up her memories, others trying to push them aside. as she sat crosslegged on the ground with her head in her hands, a wise creature appeared. the wise creature looked like a mix between Yoda and Barack Obama (obviously).
the wise creature told the girl to picture her life in five or ten years, and describe what she is doing. the girl closed her eyes and said, "i'm throwing dinner parties in a well-lit kitchen for family and friends, using square reddish orange plates. i'm making my demon face in all my wedding photos. i'm feeding the dog. i'm spinning in the teacups with my children at Disneyland. i'm running through my neighborhood, down a street with trees on both sides whose branches meet in the middle. i'm curled up in bed in a room with yellow walls, wearing striped pajamas and completing the new york times crossword. i'm looking both ways and crossing the street with a cup of coffee in one hand. i'm picking peaches off the trees in my backyard. i'm wearing black lace lingerie and drinking champagne on my anniversary. i'm arranging tulips with sun streaming in through the windows. i'm waking up every morning with someone who thinks he's the luckiest man in the world. that is the life i want."
okay, the wise person says. now who else do you see? who takes you out to dinner when you get promoted? who crushes you in a hug when you tell him you're pregnant? when someone slams the door and yells "I'm home!", whose voice is it? who can you talk to for seven hours in the car when you're driving through the middle of nowhere on a road trip? who gets you a glass of water when your throat is parched in the middle of the night? when you hear a strange noise, who goes and checks to see that everything is alright, even when he knows there is nothing there? who stands up very straight and has his arm around you as you shake with sobs at your father's funeral? who holds your hand during chemotherapy if you get breast cancer like your mother did? who is not afraid to face these things with you, since you are afraid?
the girl's eyes flew open, shocked out of her reverie. but you asked me to tell you what i saw, she exclaimed. yes, the wise creature replied. but i am helping you see the things you cannot now see. yes, love is found in the sunlight, in dancing, in pancakes and pillows, in notes and laughter. but love is also found in darkness, in tunnels, in downward spirals and bouts of pneumonia. if you only have love when it is easy, then you do not have a love you can depend upon. life is often difficult, and love is the only thing that will bring you to the other side. if you think you are loved but you are never sure of it, your sorrows will be multiplied and your happiness always divided in half. love should not be the cause of life's difficulties, but rather, its panacea.
but i feel like two different people, the girl tried to explain, getting very upset. i've said things which cannot be taken back. i have broken promises and remade them. i have wanted the same thing for so long, how can i possibly want anything else? i know what i deserve, but then i hear a song or see him, and i lose all my nerve.
be honest with yourself, the wise creature gently responded. people do not change, at least not in ways that matter. if you would be happy with things AS THEY ARE, then by all means move forward and follow the path you intended. but if you are hurting... are you hurting?
the girl nodded imperceptibly.
love should not hurt, despite what you may hear, the wise creature continued. do not expect things to change. accept that they will not change, and continue from that place, a place of acceptance.
but this is not enough! the girl said, starting to cry. i cannot live halfway forever. i cannot hold back, i cannot wait, i cannot change what i want. i will not apologize for what i want.
the wise creature looked deep in thought. perhaps there is a way for everyone to get what they want, he said. it may not seem right at the time, but it is for the best. yes, i am sure of it. you know what you must do.
and with that, the creature disappeared, leaving the girl bewildered, anxious, and exactly in the same place she was before."
Credits to SophN :)
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