Today was surprisingly warm for March. It felt like August instead. 760Please respect copyright.PENANAZwTbZV2MuU
I was in three different departments at my job, doing all the tasks others could, but they decided to give me. 760Please respect copyright.PENANAR891ZaX6CR
I am coal for a fire they never want to see extinguished, yet here I burn out.760Please respect copyright.PENANAoja2LMoIj6
It's been four months since that day.760Please respect copyright.PENANAG9WZXYAJFn
Call me Hidaka. It's my lesser-known name, but that doesn't bother me. 760Please respect copyright.PENANAuBwiczrE3l
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. 760Please respect copyright.PENANATwbuz89K28
That may sound petty or like a brag. But trust me, I in no way feel pride in this. 760Please respect copyright.PENANAUVeLEzZUjW
Only loneliness.760Please respect copyright.PENANAclrlYVyyyz
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.760Please respect copyright.PENANAYbh1Q6IMst
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. 760Please respect copyright.PENANActB9SdbDTE
Once I gather my things, I go around the store to buy some items for myself. 760Please respect copyright.PENANAPcYJGQzJma
On impulse, I decide to buy a picture. I never buy décor, but this was a must. 760Please respect copyright.PENANARX86vFXZwp
It was a photograph of cherry blossoms. 760Please respect copyright.PENANANfhF1xEhRw
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.760Please respect copyright.PENANAOtLnETPq5J
They remind me of home. 760Please respect copyright.PENANAVs6c0EZEB1
The guests arrive a little later than 18:00, but I don't mind. I'm not the one hosting, anyway.760Please respect copyright.PENANAnOkpN0y3cn
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. 760Please respect copyright.PENANA7V1tm21brY
All night, we play board games. Not much conversation is actually done, and when we all stand to talk, it is dead silent. 760Please respect copyright.PENANAWkr5hNlaO3
I don't want to be here. 760Please respect copyright.PENANApnZNEV8RDN
It is now 0:04. I sit in my messy workspace, staring at the faux ivy hanging from the ceiling. 760Please respect copyright.PENANAoagcqWguLQ
I contemplate a lot of things at this time of night. 760Please respect copyright.PENANAz9GLZuDkJV
I think about my job and the anxiety of being a hamster stuck in a plastic ball forever.760Please respect copyright.PENANABRv1xUayPg
I think of how I didn't care for company and how I wished I was left alone this evening. 760Please respect copyright.PENANAIRROSNcLNn
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. 760Please respect copyright.PENANABBprxuYUx6
I think about being 22 and how my sisters want me married. I don't want to think about it now.760Please respect copyright.PENANANhhLChXo8I
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. 760Please respect copyright.PENANAqND0nh4i5l
Now, I have a better understanding of where to go next. Better than I did four months ago. But I'm still the same. 760Please respect copyright.PENANAeL49vCSwzG
I'm still lonely. I still feel depressed and bitter. I still feel dejected, betrayed, and abandoned. 760Please respect copyright.PENANAYu0clzdnvy
Maybe I should sleep all of this away. I think I need to talk to God more about this sorrow.760Please respect copyright.PENANApnB3M55o7d
I know all of this makes no sense. But I hope I can prove to you it will. 760Please respect copyright.PENANAHQ2IR5dNSW
I want it to make sense.760Please respect copyright.PENANAMFsKwTTchp
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.760Please respect copyright.PENANABt07xc6Lmc
The PaperGarden.760Please respect copyright.PENANARQhf4DAB08
To be Continued...760Please respect copyright.PENANA91yMqbdls0