It is almost that time of year again. The quiet is coming. The energy downtown will be replaced with an eerie calm, so calm that the color of the trees, grass, sky and sun will all dim, as if to match the sadness of my mood. I will drive by in the days to come and feel the emptiness where there was once was an abundance of activity. I will not need to stop at the crosswalks because there will be no one for which to stop. But that is tomorrow.
Today I pass by and see you celebrating, excited to embark on a new journey. Your car packed in preparation for your adventure. The bins in the parking lots overflow with discarded furniture and bikes, like broken props from an old play. I watch as good friends say goodbye.
The sight of you fills me with hope for a better tomorrow. I believe with all my heart that you will change the world for the better. Still, in this moment I cannot help but feel a bit like one of the discarded possessions in the bin. I wipe away the melancholy tears of hope and sorrow. I watch you drive away with a final honk of the horn and a gleeful shout. I smile at your youth and wave good-bye.
Dyana McGlothlin Steely
Owner, Extraordinary Cupcakes