The Promise of Tomorrow

by Mary Ellen Taylor

An old man in Arizona who worked at a gas station had told me people didn’t die, really. Their energy just changed.

Grief moves at its own pace, and sometimes it loops around and revisits its previous stops.”

Once, it had bothered me that I didn’t have a life plan. I saw myself as a failure. But now, I kind of liked that I didn’t have it all mapped out. You can’t be open to greatness if you’re mired in plans, right?

Life tended to get comfortable over time. Before, even with all the pressures on me with my mom and sister, I found comfort in routine. Even when unexpected bills arose, they had a sameness I understood. It was easy not to raise my head and see what else was possible.