CONFRONTING MY OLD WAYS

She stands across the room from a woman who looks like her twin, but this person’s face bears the scars of all the failures in her life. As she gets closer to this twin, she notices that the twin seems to be farther and farther away from her. She starts to run towards her. She trips repeatedly, but every time, she gets right back up. The final time she fell, she stayed on the ground crying. She buries her head in her arms and knees. She wonders why she can’t seem to reach this twin across the room.  She suddenly felt a warmth and a hand on her shoulder. She slowly lifts her head. She looks up, and it’s her, but this isn’t the twin she saw before. This version of herself glows. She smiles, and she has no scars. The version of herself reaches her hand out to help her up. She grabs her hand; it is warm, and she feels a sense of life flowing through her. She gets back up, and this new version of herself looks forward, and she sees the scared twin ahead of her. She starts to walk forward. This time, the twin doesn’t get farther away. She walks up to her.

“I can’t let you burden me anymore.” She spoke.

“But I am you, I will always burden you,” Twin said.

“But I need to let you go so I can be free.”

“You can’t just leave me.”

“That is correct, but I have chosen to walk towards the light of life.”

“You are supposed to be comfortable here; aren’t you comfortable?”

“I am comfortable here, but it isn’t healthy. I deserve life.”

“If you leave, it will be hard and uncomfortable.”

“I know that, but I must face it and persevere.”

“What will happen to me?”

“You will always be there, but you will be the past; you can’t slow me down anymore. You can’t be in front of me.”

She turns around and walks away. Her scared twin screams out and runs behind her. She tries to tear her down, but she continues to walk. Over time, that scream will disappear, and there will be silence.