On Rose-Colored Glasses

By Tal T

No matter how painful it may be; don't forget the past, don't deny the present, and don’t assume the future.

You grew up with a pair of rose-colored glasses covering your eyes, shielding you from life;turning the leaves on trees into cotton candy, clouds into bubblegum, water into pink lemonade. You were naive and ignorant, living in a clueless fantasy. But as it always does, reality hit you like a storm and blew the glasses off your face, the lenses crashing as they hit the floor.

From a young age the world put all its weight on your shoulders, pulling you down like an anchor thrown into the ocean. The waves engulfing you like a monster, its deep blue, translucent waters swallowing you with its mouth. As you sunk you heard the cries of people trying to rescue you by throwing love your way. But by the time their love hit you, you were too deep, too far down. You were so distant that you didn't receive the message. I mean, how could you believe you are lovable when you are deaf to love’s sound. The love was sent like a telegraph only you were too blind to read it.

You eventually became comfortable with sinking to the bottom og the sea; you didn't see a reason to change. You were oblivious to any hand reaching into the water for you to grab and pull you out. Maybe you didn't want to be saved, maybe you were even scared to imagine a normal life, above the sea waters. You hesitated to save yourself because you weren't sure what it would be like to rise above the sea waters and escape the darkness that surrounded you. You were fearful of the unknown.

But the sky is not the limit, nothing is consistent, and everything will reach a point where it is no longer sustainable. You felt that swimming is harder than sinking, and it is incredibly hard to not give in. but you didn't, you didn't give in. You began to understand that you cannot be saved from sinking if you do not have the will to try and swim. You pulled yourself off the ground, you had the will to try and swim. As you made your way to the top of the ocean, your eyes opened and you saw so much more than darkness. Looking up you saw the sun reflecting itself, shining on the clear, blue water. You saw the sand glistening like gold glitter; the coral reefs filling the sea with colors; blue like the sky, yellow like the sun, and red like the fire burning in your soul.

You submerged from the water and took your first gasp of air. Oxygen flooding your mouth, circulating through your lungs. The cold air hitting your face and bringing you back to life. It was uncomfortable, it hurt your lungs and skin. But time heals and you pushed through the pain until it no longer hurt, and you learned to live again.

When you look back on your life now it feels like a lucid dream. You are unsure of what is reality and what is imagination. As you watch your old self, you understand that you are a new, different person from the girl in those dreams. Change can be soothing, if you let it exist and accept it, you will realize it gives you a second chance. You have

changed. You were barely holding on, grasping a fallen branch with one had. But you realized you can save yourself and let change show you a whole new world. You are a sun rising, a flower blooming, a tree growing. You are still finding your way, trusting change, and discovering your courage one step at a time. You’ve got this.