I walk the crowded streets but the feeling of loneliness grips my heart like steel in winter. Where have my loved ones gone? Have I been deserted or have I left them behind on my travels. Here I am, in a brand new place seeing familiar faces but it’s just not the same. These aren’t the people I knew. These aren’t the people I let into my heart once upon a time. Their eyes boast a vague reminder, their voices a reminiscent tone of those individuals of my recent past but it is not them. They are gone.
I gaze into the chaos and a certainty solidifies inside of me. I will see some of these faces again. Some for a night and others for much longer but then I will follow my feet once more and they too will become a part of my past. The duration never matters. It is about the impact, the influence, the connection. These attributes will create meaningful and lasting memories.
Realistically everyone is temporary and the only person we must endure for the entirety of our life, is ourself. The sole purpose for the presence of others is to create a memory which lives on after us. A tattoo on the world so we may not be easily erased and forgotten.
Mile 29 