A toast of best wishes to the narrow escape of all that is not meant for me. May they find their way to the person whose life they won’t riddle with complications. Chin chin to the moments when it sparkled in my presence before revealing its sharp edges. And here’s to what is waiting for me around the corner, I anticipate you with bated breath. 

When you leave, take every piece of yourself with you when you go. Don’t let them have even a little bit. But most importantly, bring your whole self to the wondrous things that have not yet arrived. What a shame it would be for the reapers to hold onto the parts of you that shine as their tail lights paint you red, and for the prophetic arrival of something good to not receive the fanfare you bestowed upon a dud. Don’t let them have even a little bit of you, should they reject the rest. Bring all of your solitary light to the next round.

Borne of grief and struggle are beautiful, bountiful things. Nourishing yields need dark soil to thrive. Perhaps yours is a different fruit. Maybe it doesn’t seek the sunlight and the warm rains to bloom. Don’t harvest your life before it has the opportunity to flourish into what it shall become. Don’t unearth its roots just yet, let it take shape the way it intended. 

Every time we set out in search of spoils, we run the risk of returning lashed and empty handed. This is simply the tarnished side of the coin. One day, we’ll find ourselves in the midst of more than we can carry. But not if we spend our days in pursuit of what we were never intended to have. Let the uncut gems tumble into your life, and tumble steadily out. Don’t become obsessed with its shine and ignore that it cuts you.