As I stood on my porch, I began to take in all of my surroundings. The lake that stood behind my house, the cold, crisp air kissing my cheek and playing with my hair, the slight breeze making the trees in front of me dance as a celebration for the cold winter coming.

I looked upon the lake and remembered the swans that would come and float upon it in the spring, and the fish that would occasionally break the surface, and the people that would come from all over the district just to skate on it when it’s frozen. It got me thinking about the many different living and breathing life forms that gather in one spot, all having different purposes, all living different lives, all seeking different things. It made me think how different one can be from another, but all share something in common.

It’s kind of like the world we live in today; 7.6 billion people in the world. All of us have different motives, different thoughts, different childhoods, but all being connected in one way or another. Whether by blood, by mutual friends, by even the slightest bump when we pass by each other, we’re all connected some way and somehow.

The fact that all of us were so different made me think… what exactly made me different? And I thought… Well one thing is definitely the experiences I’ve had. All the people that affected me, shaped me into the person that I am today, whether they treated me badly or treated me well.

But, one topic I couldn’t help think of is my problems. The challenges that I’ve overcome, the ones that I didn’t. Even the ones that I face at this very moment. I looked once again at the lake, felt the wind against me as it made my body shiver, saw how no one was walking around the lake like usual since it was getting dark.
I thought about never overcoming my problems. I thought about always having to deal with the sadness that I feel and the guilt of putting them off only because I didn’t want them to make me even more upset. What if I’m always like this? What if this never goes away?

But a voice inside my head didn’t seem to let me think this way. “You’re gonna get through this,” it said. “You’re gonna be happy once again.” And you know, there’s always gonna be that part of you that thinks, “Psh, that’s not true. I can’t deal with this problem; it’s never gonna go away.”

But the same voice in my head said, “NO. Don’t think that way. Do you see that lake in front of you? Feel the cold air around you? Notice how no one’s around, walking like they usually do? Why is that? Because winter is coming, and when it’s winter, no one’s around and everything feels still.

Think of sadness like winter. It’s gonna come. It’s inevitable. It may last for a long time, or a short time. But whenever it arrives, just remember that it will always leave, because it’s making its way for summer’s arrival. Summer, like happiness is inevitable too. Happiness will always come back. It may last for a long time, or a short time, but it will always come back. So, not only will summer come back, but so will the swans, the warm air, the nice people enjoying the scenery you are seeing right now; life goes on, things get better. And so will you.”