Lili Dauphin

I want to pretend that I am dreaming. This is not happening. Or I can believe that the whole world has fallen down on me. First, I lose my best friend, Moun. Then I lose my other best friend, Ana, whom I still cherish greatly. I have lost two of my best friends in one day and that’s hard. I want to prepare myself to handle this pain. I don’t know how I am going to get over it, but I will try to do my best. I don’t want to believe that someone I cared about so much could betray me so badly. It’s not possible… or, on second thought, could it be? What am I suppose to learn from this? Is this perhaps a lesson? Or is it just a coincidence? What is the lesson I need to learn? Or is there any lesson at all? Is the lesson not to trust anyone ever again? To me that’s not acceptable. How would I go through life happy without trusting someone? Gran always says, “Rekolte sa ou plante (You can only reap what you sow).” The most confusing part is I sowed so much good on Ana, but I’ve reaped only abandonment and pain.
I begin to walk home to Tiville. I am tired, broken, and hungry. The late afternoon sun bears down on me, striking my forehead and eyes, and the dust blows into my nose and throat each time a motor vehicle passes. I avoid thinking how lost I am. I tell myself that I shouldn’t be thinking this way, not for a single moment. I tell myself that I can get home. I remind myself that I am still here, still alive, and following the road. I must believe that I still have myself so I decide not to fret about my circumstances anymore.
I continue walking. It’s a long way home on foot, but I try to do the best I can. On my way I notice a woman on top of a donkey, resting at the side of the road.
“Need a ride to Tiville?” she asks.
How does she know that I am going to Tiville? I am thinking.
“Please, thank you so much.” I smile.
The old lady gets off the donkey, lifts me up by my armpits, and seats me firmly on its back. Then she jumps on and we continue on our way. I put my arms around her for support as she guides me home. She never talks or asks any questions.

Why do we worry so much?

Even though most worries are unnecessary, most of us still worry about everything. How come?

Ms. Worriette stands in line at the store. I am standing behind her watching her every move. She’s very anxious and upset. There are only two humans in front of her. Soon, she’ll be out of there. All she needs is a little patience. Instead, Worriette starts going from one line to another. Realizing she’s not getting ahead, she returns to her original line hoping for a miracle. You can tell she’s about to explode with anxiety.

“I can’t believe this place.” She groans while pacing nervously.

“Don’t worry, you’ll soon be out of here.” I say to appease her concern.

“No, you don’t understand,” she yells, nearly causing me to have a heart attack. “I must pick up my kid from the babysitter before 7:00 p.m.”

“Well, this place doesn’t close until 9:00 p.m. and it’s only 6:00 p.m. You may still have time to do both,” I remind her.

Worriette looks at her watch and gasps.

“Thank you.” She turns to me with a big smile.

I think worries may come with being human. It may even be a part of our survival instinct.

I believe the best way to deal with worries is to examine its cause and find a solution. Then we can decide if we should worry. If our friend, Worriettte had looked at her watch, she could have saved her heart the unnecessary stress. Assuming it was 7:00 p.m., she could have called the babysitter to let her know that she would be late. A few minutes may not be unreasonable. All of her worries at the store may have been in vain.

Worries don’t often resolve our problems. In fact, they may exacerbate things by making us too nervous to deal with the issue at hand. We can at least try by becoming more aware, so we can deal with our worries more efficiently. So, Worry no more my sweet humans! Instead, let us all be jolly!