By Leonardo Rodriguez Carrion
Life will disappoint you…and that’s okay. In life, you will meet many people. You will participate in many activities throughout your life. Do not regret what happens and what doesn’t happen. We create expectations because we are brought up to have them. From birth to adulthood, we have ideas that any person should have growing up.
Go to school, study, learn, participate, then continue to college or start working. The multitude of paths we can take eludes some of us, and others not so much. Some have determination on their own from a young age and stick with it. Others find themselves changing from one path to another. It is all connected. The tree from which you started, passed down from the lineage of those who came before you, grants you this opportunity to continue seeding your chosen path.
Each experience represents a branch in the tree of life. At one moment, many of us were students. At another, we entered romantic relationships. Similarly, we will have friendships that last, some that do not, jobs that persist, and others that pass on. The connections we have with people will vary and change in our lives. Family and friendship have shown themselves to me as the most important and the most consistent. No loyalty or commitment is without merit.
The journey is in the people
Just as experience is fleeting, so is the story which each branch must tell. At one moment, you will be known to some as a young, outgoing person. At another moment, you will appear as the quietest in the room. No one side or story will be the same, but who you are shown to be is the essence that impacts those in your journey. Make it a long one.
We meet some people and learn their names. We learn a little about them or a lot about them. Sometimes, we meet people for one day, we meet people for one week, we meet people for one month, we meet people for one year, or we meet people for decades. Sometimes, I realize some of us act as if the time we share with others is limited because it is. An individual activity, person, or group of people, reflect upon the people you have met and what they taught you. We can all learn something minor or significant from each other.
As much time as we must share, I know the time will mean the most when we look back and realize what we did daily, week to week, month to month, and even year to year. Like many trees, yours will end, and from it, sprout another tree or perhaps multiple trees! Who is seen and unseen in each of the branches on our tree? Who will continue with us, what will continue with us, and why will it continue with us? These many questions will be with us, with answers of our own or answers from a higher source beyond that which moves us. As the flowing waters and finiteness of our time continue, I hope the tree you grow is fruitful and beautiful, for it can be seen without even needing to be spoken of.
