Eris White
My life feels like an ancient garden, where trees once stood tall and proud, greeting the wind and thriving in the morning sun, but also harboring many dry, withered branches, silently waiting for the day they fall into oblivion. I wander through old paths, on roads that seem familiar yet hide a foreignness I can’t name – as though time has quietly laid a layer of dust from the past upon them.
At the end of March, when the first magnolia blossoms of the neighboring garden timidly unfurl, I suddenly realize a law of impermanence: not only will these flowers fade and wither away with the passage of time, but even relationships, once thought to be solid and enduring, can sometimes fade, dissolve. Separation often does not come from great events but creeps through the unnoticed moments, where people gradually lose each other in the whirlwind of life, just like the quietly falling petals that no one notices.
He was the one I spent my youth longing for, and he left me, as gently as a passing breeze, to belong to another girl. I wonder, was our love not strong enough to endure over the years, or did I simply not know how to hold on?
The close friend I once believed would always be there, suddenly disappeared from my world one day. No message, no trace left behind, only old memories still quietly echoing through the long days.
Even my little dog, the most loyal friend I have, suddenly appears dejected, its eyes glistening as though holding silent tears. It seems to sense something fragile in the air, a sorrow as light as mist, creeping through the invisible gaps left by all that has changed.
Life, with its relentless grind, its aimless competition, and its nameless worries, sometimes leaves me feeling lost within my own thoughts. There are days when my heart suddenly sinks for no reason, moments of unease creeping in like a thin mist, shrouding everything with the vague feeling of an endless whirlpool with no way out. I wonder, is this the inevitable law of life? That no matter how strong a person may be, they can never escape the precariousness before the invisible flow of time?
The trees still stand there, silently bearing witness to countless changes, to the seasons of falling leaves and new green. They do not complain, do not hesitate before sun and rain, quietly stretching toward the light. And perhaps, I too need to learn to be like them – to accept both loss and change without losing myself. To learn to smile even when my heart is in disarray, for after all, life has never been a smooth path, but it is precisely those scars that add beauty to the soul.
The retired teacher, with her grey hair and thin, worn hands marked by time, has lived through countless seasons of sun and rain. Yet, despite her familiarity with the ups and downs of life, she cannot escape the slow, persistent pains of old age – pains that gnaw not only at the body but also deep within the soul, awakening old memories and unspoken dreams.
On long, sleepless nights, she quietly listens to the wind howling outside the window, as though within those undefined sounds echoes the laughter and voices of old friends. She remembers the years that slipped by in a hurry, dreams left unfinished, words never spoken, glances that never lasted long enough before everything became the past. Her heart tightens with regrets that cannot be undone, moments that could have been lived more fully, loved more deeply, but now only echo in the realm of memories.
Yet, though time may take away youth and the steady steps of the past, in her eyes, there still shines a light. A gentle yet steadfast light – the light of hope for tomorrow, for future generations, for the lessons she still wants to pass on. Life may be brief, but the values and love we leave behind will never fade. And perhaps that is what has allowed her to pass through seasons of pain and continue to smile, even as time relentlessly moves on.
At the end of the village, beneath the gnarled old tree, an elderly man sits alone, his cloudy eyes gazing into some faraway place, as though searching for something lost in the indifferent current of time. His whole life, he had labored tirelessly, forgetting rest, forgetting his own wishes. But when old age arrived, when his calloused hands no longer had anything to grasp, he was left with the quiet solitude that enveloped each passing day.
Each time he sees the children running and playing outside, his heart tightens. He too once had a warm home, children clinging to his legs, and heard their laughter echoing across the yard every evening. But then, the years passed, and those children grew up, each going their own way, busy with their own lives, leaving behind an empty house, where only his shadow stretches long each sunset. No one visits, no one listens to the old stories he has told over and over again. Only time flows silently, like a wordless friend, witnessing everything but unable to share.
Yet, sometimes, in the late afternoon, when he sees the small footsteps of children passing by, he still unconsciously smiles. In that smile, there’s a touch of nostalgia, a bit of regret, but also a faint glimmer of hope. Because, no matter how things change, no matter how people come and go, life goes on, continuing through generations. And perhaps, deep in his heart, he still believes that there are things that will never be lost – even if we can no longer touch them, even if we can only watch from afar.
Despite the lingering pain of the old teacher or the silent loneliness of the elderly man, one thing is undeniable – it is their resilience, forged over the years. They have endured losses, deep wounds etched in their hearts, yet they stand firm in the face of the indifferent flow of time. No complaints, no surrender, they quietly endure like old trees, solemn but strong before the storms.
And perhaps it is time that has taught them these precious lessons: that in every pain is growth, in every loneliness an opportunity to understand life more deeply. They have learned to love even when there is no reciprocation, to persevere even when no one is watching. And above all, they understand that no matter how life changes, no matter how far the ones they love may go, love, patience, and strength will always remain – things that will never be lost.
Life, despite the creeping sorrows, the irreplaceable losses, still carries with it a quiet and enduring beauty. Like the seasons of flowers that bloom and fade, like the waves that continuously lap against the shore without ever stopping – it is all a part of the natural flow.
I look up at the sky at the end of March, where the clouds quietly drift toward the distant horizon. A gentle breeze passes, bringing with it the delicate fragrance of the magnolia flowers that have just bloomed. Beneath the gnarled tree, the old man still sits there, his gaze contemplative but no longer burdened with heavy memories. The old teacher continues to tell her old stories, in a voice as gentle as the waves, as though each word carries unspoken emotions and unfulfilled hopes.
I suddenly realize that not every departure is a loss, not every separation is an end. There are things that, even though no longer present, remain forever in the heart – like the faint glow of a small lamp in the dark night, like the warm memories that, no matter how much time passes, can never be erased.
My life, though it may have quiet days walking down old roads, is still a garden full of colors – the green of hope, the yellow of nostalgia, but most importantly, there are still tender shoots rising after each change. And I know, as long as there is enough love, enough patience, that garden will bloom again one day, under the sunlight.
Eris White