Blue.
The shade of the deep sea, so vast and majestic, containing the power to drift an individual off into the gold-tinted horizon.
The hue of the effervescent sky, as infinite as the thoughts and emotions that are carried through our entities, with no defined beginning or end.
The wash of the jeans that eventually fade away into a lighter tint with the wear and tear of each memory and adventure that is tucked away into the threads.
And the state of being that has the majority of us currently locked in its grasp, slowly suffocating its victims as the concept of a forever suddenly has numbered grains of sand left to fall to the bottom of their hourglass.
Yet again, it has regretfully had to get to the breaking point of having another tragic event happen in order for us to open up our eyes to the importance of being kind and caring towards one another— a basic, common sense instinct buried deep beneath the sand, only to be discovered far too late.
It’s amazing how precious the existence of an individual unknown to you could become once you witness the tragedy it stirs from within the circle of people you do know when they have that life suddenly yanked away from them.
No person should ever feel as if the only way to end their internal battles is to end themselves altogether. The damage that physical actions mark on a person are transitory, fleeting moments of pain, but the constant state of mental warfare, the emotional anguish, and the gigantism of harrowing thoughts can feel permanent. The power of hurtful words imprint in mind, heart, and soul; there’s no magic eraser.
Stop, count to three, and truly digest what it is you would like to retaliate the next time you believe your emotions may dictate your intuition. The gap left during the time of a delayed response can be filled, but the door that is padlocked after an immediate one can never be opened again.
Just try to remember to take the cycle of exchanges between the sun and the moon one daybreak and nightfall at a time. The certainty of waking up the next morning or falling asleep at the end of the day is never guaranteed, which is why we should all try to take deeper breaths, hold people tighter, smile a bit more, and laugh an extra second with every opportunity that is handed to us.
To my entire TZ community: Although I am no longer an integral part of the curriculum, my heart forever remains cemented to the grounds where the person I am today was first being built.
My journey through life is what gives me reason to not just exist, but live. I breathe, hold, smile, laugh, touch, care, feel... I do it all because of each and every one of you.
So find your muse. One infinitesimal shrivel of motivation to bring your attention back to how wonderful the scent of your detergent on your clothes smells, how delicious the flavor of gum in your mouth tastes, how magnificent the breeze blowing through the chimes makes them sound, how vivacious the dancing leaves on the ground look, and how beautiful the beat of your heart feels.
Your worth transcends the deep sea and the effervescent sky; it permeates through each building you enter, with each interaction, and every word you say. You’re loved to the moon and back, a love as comforting as a mother’s kiss and as strong as a father’s hug. Your beauty and fragility were not understood, and your next life welcomes you with open doors, caring smiles, and reassurance that will blanket your soul warmly. And hopefully there, we’ll cross the same path, the one I wish we intersected together in this life, and become great friends.
Blue.
Jimmy’s favorite color.
One more reason to live.
(Edited by a loving friend, Dominique McIntee.)