Afterward

Walking on the beach with my toes in the warm, soft sand, I feel comfortable and content with life for the first time in many, many months. Maybe years.

Maybe I learned something from my time on the island?

I have found it difficult to trust anyone. I have found it difficult to forgive myself. Those things have to be done to live a full and meaningful life. I want a life without self-imposed boundaries, without fear of loss. I want a life of joy and bliss and monkeys. (There, fireblossom, feel better?)

After all, we all are born and we all die. We just never know when it will be our time. If I live my life waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop, sooner or later it will. My children are a gift. I will work to feel that way every day, even when they annoy me and make me feel like a jerk. My life is a treasure and I need to remember that, amidst all the work and frustration.

As I wander along the edge of the water, with a bucket full of rose petals, it dawns on me that today is a new day. Just like tomorrow will be. And the day after that.

I have all these days to fill and I choose to fill them with hope and love and the occasional burst of raw emotion. When there are tears, I want them to be for new disappointment, not old wounds.

I hope this day finds you bliss. I have a bucket full of it and I'm happy to share.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm searching for a pirate...