8.29.23
She looks to the sky searching for the sun. She can see it. Briefly. But as quickly as the great light caught her eye, it starts to disappear behind the misty clouds. So she runs.
She chases the sun, desperate not to let it fall from her view. She runs as fast as she can. But it’s a futile process because she can’t run forever, so the sun slips from sight. She’s basked in the grey that overtakes the sky. The cold settles in.
She sits down and faces her defeat. She can’t see the sun anymore. Who knows when she’ll see it next. She looks up to the sky, and instead of the burning sun, reds and oranges catch her eye. It’s not the sun. Not even close, but the shining colors are calling out to her.
She looks as far up as she can and is struck by the amount of leaves hanging above her. She’s enveloped by them. They’re trapping her in, and the desperate chase she just lost fades slowly from her mind. All she can see is the colors floating above her head.
She slowly comes to the realization that the loss of the sun doesn’t mean that all else ends. It can mean that things come to life. The tints above her head were brought to life in the sun’s disappearance. And nothing ended. It didn’t all fade away.
As she stares at the forest above her head, she recalls a distant moment. It almost feels like it didn’t happen. But the déjà vu is strong and she tastes the memory on the tip of her tongue. It almost feels like this moment has happened before.
She can remember chasing the sun and facing defeat in the loss of it. She can remember the beauty of the leaves floating above. She remembers it all. And she remembers that she was okay.
The loss of the sun wasn’t the end of her. She found solace in the leaves. In the buds under feet. She’s survived it before, so why wouldn’t she again?
This has all happened before, and she’s watching it gradually begin again. All of the heartache that comes with loss, and all of the joy that comes with her new discoveries.
She spins slowly, arms spread wide, taking it all in. The saviors above start to fall around her, and she laughs. This has all happened before, and she’s watching it begin again.
