The cycle of life and death is something amazing.
The spring to the fall... delicate little darling green shoots pop their heads up from under so much soil, weighted down on them, and flower beautifully, before withering in the fall. The gorgeous pink of cherry blossom trees open up to me and there I stand, entranced by the way the wind will catch a few stray petals and bring them dancing to the floor. Even they, though, soon will be gone, with the coming of fall; the beautiful foliage withers and turns color, from vivid lively green to a worn, old orange or dead brown, fainting to the ground, finally succumbing to the whisper of gravity.
Humans are the same. We are conceived, we are born, and we die. We are conceived, we are born, and we die. We are conceived, we are born, and we die. The cycle continues. We die. We ascend to our rebirth into our promised land or we descend to atone and repent. Then, when we have repented or lived the second lifespan with our gathered memories, we are reborn for our second chance, our second go at making our lives something amazing. Not everyone can manage it. Some remember the past, even so far back as bowing to the feet of an ancient monarch. Some screw up our second chance and must repent in death. Some try their best but struggle under the circumstances. Some remember their mistakes and try to live what they could not.
We have all been reborn more times than we can count. All of our souls have been here since the beginning of time, reused and recycled after death. Whether our past life was of a human, of a plant, of a star, of a mammal, all the souls contained in those vessels are us, always have been us. Sometimes we get trapped somewhere we aren't meant to be. The wrong body, the wrong species, the wrong family. That's okay. That's fine. It happens. Nobody should love you any less because of it.
If I could tell my younger self one thing, it would be "Don't worry. You aren't alone. You never were, and you never will be. There will always be someone that loves you. Your friends will be by your side next year, and the year after that. They won't give up on you." I hope with every muscle of my heart that I will be able to think to myself, in thirty years, "I told myself. I knew they would still be with me." Because I love you all, and you all are amazing. Even if I feel invisible, even if I feel about as wanted as a mosquito, you guys are the most important things in the world to me right now. Some of you got me through some pretty bad days, and I love you even more for that. So thank you. I have to even wonder if I would still be here if it weren't for you.
And so, here comes another Spring. Bulbs planted, mating calls resound through the beautifully-scented air, a deliciously warm sun chills in the middle of the gorgeous blue sky. It is a great time to be alive, I think to myself, my hand clasping your sleeve. And I don't want to forget it.
And I make a promise not to forget, as I watch the stunning dance of the cherry blossom petals...
