Today was surprisingly warm for March. It felt like August instead. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAjY0SwNDRcQ
I was in three different departments at my job, doing all the tasks others could, but they decided to give me. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAvOA43CmFwD
I am coal for a fire they never want to see extinguished, yet here I burn out.796Please respect copyright.PENANAxWgTX8IFco
It's been four months since that day.796Please respect copyright.PENANAHfcvRFPGS4
Call me Hidaka. It's my lesser-known name, but that doesn't bother me. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAj4n6Uo6L3B
I'm young still, 22, yet old in spirit. I have lived a lot of life. Much more than a lot of people my age. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAODqLRMDgar
That may sound petty or like a brag. But trust me, I in no way feel pride in this. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAyADYUGO6YD
Only loneliness.796Please respect copyright.PENANABrcUs7rSsW
At 16:00, I clock out and get ready to leave. There is a party at my family's home tonight, but I feel like ditching. Too bad I can't drive.796Please respect copyright.PENANALthlFwBbIQ
My brother sends a text to me, stating only good news. After being belittled by one of my managers all day, it's nice to have something to smile about. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAHuqUBetayy
Once I gather my things, I go around the store to buy some items for myself. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAIIkpsK02zP
On impulse, I decide to buy a picture. I never buy décor, but this was a must. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAfulB0eCjc3
It was a photograph of cherry blossoms. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAxuXkeMQVW8
One thing everyone quickly knows about me is I love cherry blossoms. They remind me of good, whimsical memories. They recall a sweet time before this era.796Please respect copyright.PENANAkgIrazJkZt
They remind me of home. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAt0Pec5n18j
The guests arrive a little later than 18:00, but I don't mind. I'm not the one hosting, anyway.796Please respect copyright.PENANAbcVHyeBh77
My sister and brother are making an effort to make more friends at their church. I think that's amazing. They found a place they really like. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAGIIMiJcStS
All night, we play board games. Not much conversation is actually done, and when we all stand to talk, it is dead silent. 796Please respect copyright.PENANADipYg8ul93
I don't want to be here. 796Please respect copyright.PENANA0GlZoeCCOS
It is now 0:04. I sit in my messy workspace, staring at the faux ivy hanging from the ceiling. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAxX8ovE0FGm
I contemplate a lot of things at this time of night. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAEu5LgRLuGn
I think about my job and the anxiety of being a hamster stuck in a plastic ball forever.796Please respect copyright.PENANANSnyRiIAGq
I think of how I didn't care for company and how I wished I was left alone this evening. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAxhUH40Xbc9
I think about how I haven't had a proper church home in almost 2 years and how I wish I could find a place and congregation to return to each week. 796Please respect copyright.PENANA3BEwW9TcGT
I think about being 22 and how my sisters want me married. I don't want to think about it now.796Please respect copyright.PENANAnbXa5pEBFD
Most of all, I think of 2 years prior to this time. It was a time of freedom and promise, a time where I truly thought I knew where God wanted me. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAplz3rKjceI
Now, I have a better understanding of where to go next. Better than I did four months ago. But I'm still the same. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAHgSvkQUdB7
I'm still lonely. I still feel depressed and bitter. I still feel dejected, betrayed, and abandoned. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAuKEKnJ9lVE
Maybe I should sleep all of this away. I think I need to talk to God more about this sorrow.796Please respect copyright.PENANABOsPaVpuK7
I know all of this makes no sense. But I hope I can prove to you it will. 796Please respect copyright.PENANAziSEImLRC5
I want it to make sense.796Please respect copyright.PENANAC8nAPOAP8Z
But alas, I must rest. Sleep only comes for the traveler once a fortnight, so I must seize it like a prize. Now I will go to the place of my dreams, a place where these past four months haunt me no more.796Please respect copyright.PENANAW1RV5FjGKi
The PaperGarden.796Please respect copyright.PENANAZpl7ksk8Wj
To be Continued...796Please respect copyright.PENANABaP0qtscyh