You Could Make This Place Beautiful

by Maggie Smith

I’ve wanted for years to understand what happened, and part of me feels I’ve failed because I don’t fully understand—can’t fully understand because I don’t have access to the whole picture. I only have access to the mine. What now? I am out with lanterns, looking for myself. But here’s the thing about carrying light with you: No matter where you go, and no matter what you find—or don’t find—you change the darkness just by entering it. You clear a path through it.