Not stopping for anything as life goes on. The universe has set a model that we must follow.  We can’t survive in the present if any little component of our body is in the moments behind us.

My father and I progressed to our destination as though we were hobbling, traversing, but seeming as though we were immobile. The dependable car printed a diminutive path through the immeasurable blanket of snow. The unfamiliar road bent and curved. With it brought another bird screeching or an irregularly shaped tree. I was blindly staring into the Winter Wonderland around me, straightening before us like the road ahead. My mind was humming but not processing a thought.                                                             

Then out of nowhere came a fox, not perceiving that the car was racing toward it. Then a sickening noise echoed through the woods, like a booming voice from Tartarus. Chunky gore flicked onto the windshield. The car reeled toward the snowdrift. We evacuated the car as though it was ablaze. I took four quick steps, curious to see what happened. Instant regret swelled my body as I saw the fox. The fox’s eyes were gazing at the sky; they were aimless and had no address. I was waiting for the fox to get up, waiting for it to jostle.

I wept for the remainder of the ride, the past overwhelming me, my emotions getting the better of me. Then as I looked outside I saw something that changed my day. I saw the beauty of what was around me, the Winter Wonderland.

The past is here to stay no matter what. The past doesn’t wait; the present is always changing into something new. The only way to stay happy in life is to look at yourself now. Everyone has great qualities no matter how deep they are under the surface. The past is stained, but there is also the feeling of true delight. The delight to turn things right side up and not miss the train.    

-Aakash Iyer