A walk into the woods turned into

A fateful meetup with myself.

Standing with both my feet

buried into the Earth.

Fog circling around me.

I wonder, who's this tall figure standing

right in front of me?

Why is their hair so long,

preventing me from seeing their face?

That's because it's me.

It's the version of me who's faced

triumph after triumph.

Without ever eluding to safety.

Until she did.

The version of me who's sat through pity,

distance, and eternal bliss all at once.

I reach for her hand,

she tugs back what's hers.

"You're safe sith me." I say offering her comfort.

She flinches.

Like my voice is imprinted in her mind.

One similar to hers but also small,

faint and nowhere near as gleeful as

it is now.

She lifts her head and speaks sweet

words to me.

**"I know you can do it. Do not be afraid."**

Why would I be afraid?

I have so many questions for my mirror,

The person who has already

explored my lifetime

for god knows how long.

I take a step back.

**"Don't leave."** she exclaimed.

****

I keep stepping back only to gain a headstart.

I spring towards her clasping onto her.

In this position, I can see her eyes.

Burning with passion and intensity.

She's looking for something to cure the

taste of excitement she has.

She longs for a thrill.

I comfort her.

"I'm right here. What do you want to say to me?"

She looks at me right in the eye.

"Living is the easy part, finding joy

is the sour part. Don't take for granted your power of exuberance, for it will only last you

however long you decide to have it.

Don't lose it when you have it.

Gripping it once it's already fallen will lead to immense stress and deep-seated laziness.

I got to experience this bliss

but lost it after sacrificing it for something I thought would give me a better opportunity

at a good life.

I turned cold when I used to shine.

Low when I used to be hype.

I gave up my purpose, longing for goodness for myself and others.

But do not confuse goodness with hope.

Take your hope and turn it to gold. Turn it into fact and inevitability.

Live your life not being sorry for your wealth. Don't trade your wealth for a thing, that is how you get stuck.

Let this be a lesson.

Being lonely is worth the final stop."

She puts me down, and now

she is the one stepping back.

Though she is not returning.

She is leaving me here, to walk the path.

The path she was too afraid to walk.

And I am here to do it for her,

I am new and improved, marching

with a heart of radiance and a spirit

of exuberance that I will not take for granted.