Today was surprisingly warm for March. It felt like August instead. 380Please respect copyright.PENANA15Ynqu4azY
I was in three different departments at my job, doing all the tasks others could, but they decided to give me. 380Please respect copyright.PENANAF30zlqrGuM
I am coal for a fire they never want to see extinguished, yet here I burn out.380Please respect copyright.PENANAwf2rPqfnZa
It's been four months since that day.380Please respect copyright.PENANAeUEluhciFG
Call me Hidaka. It's my lesser-known name, but that doesn't bother me. 380Please respect copyright.PENANA1LZX5dIZvB
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. 380Please respect copyright.PENANAFSX7HsZr75
That may sound petty or like a brag. But trust me, I in no way feel pride in this. 380Please respect copyright.PENANAvBGeu3IOC4
Only loneliness.380Please respect copyright.PENANAVBEn3d3fQc
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.380Please respect copyright.PENANAmso7d3WMZL
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. 380Please respect copyright.PENANAS2aadyeoW7
Once I gather my things, I go around the store to buy some items for myself. 380Please respect copyright.PENANA70ecAz4SYM
On impulse, I decide to buy a picture. I never buy décor, but this was a must. 380Please respect copyright.PENANApfpBbhQDEu
It was a photograph of cherry blossoms. 380Please respect copyright.PENANApANMKWwm2h
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.380Please respect copyright.PENANAYrnsgWM9Gi
They remind me of home. 380Please respect copyright.PENANAk6ZZaH4MEN
The guests arrive a little later than 18:00, but I don't mind. I'm not the one hosting, anyway.380Please respect copyright.PENANAUR436Mv2lf
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. 380Please respect copyright.PENANA5XJcSrNeNR
All night, we play board games. Not much conversation is actually done, and when we all stand to talk, it is dead silent. 380Please respect copyright.PENANAjGjmcWx2VN
I don't want to be here. 380Please respect copyright.PENANAa7PTRHmEuB
It is now 0:04. I sit in my messy workspace, staring at the faux ivy hanging from the ceiling. 380Please respect copyright.PENANAwk7TDWX86x
I contemplate a lot of things at this time of night. 380Please respect copyright.PENANAWybcNTlSdN
I think about my job and the anxiety of being a hamster stuck in a plastic ball forever.380Please respect copyright.PENANACe4JXfFfJd
I think of how I didn't care for company and how I wished I was left alone this evening. 380Please respect copyright.PENANA2Gmb18DV59
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. 380Please respect copyright.PENANAXz1q3Xpj6F
I think about being 22 and how my sisters want me married. I don't want to think about it now.380Please respect copyright.PENANAGLsYRm6o5R
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. 380Please respect copyright.PENANAmdO3XkvtuU
Now, I have a better understanding of where to go next. Better than I did four months ago. But I'm still the same. 380Please respect copyright.PENANAEkoIi1vaTb
I'm still lonely. I still feel depressed and bitter. I still feel dejected, betrayed, and abandoned. 380Please respect copyright.PENANARr56UaV3C3
Maybe I should sleep all of this away. I think I need to talk to God more about this sorrow.380Please respect copyright.PENANAqajG3nPVrg
I know all of this makes no sense. But I hope I can prove to you it will. 380Please respect copyright.PENANAVaFxSMLgVc
I want it to make sense.380Please respect copyright.PENANAzpO9FO1Pm5
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.380Please respect copyright.PENANAJF8bm7rBLr
The PaperGarden.380Please respect copyright.PENANAVN7al3DMy1
To be Continued...380Please respect copyright.PENANAxWQxLVIn7p