A Promise

Shadows to light

As I set out for a special course at school today, my winter coat wrapped tightly around me, the skies above were painted in shades of somber gray. The gentle showers sprinkled the land, a mere drizzle against the backdrop of impending cold. The weatherman had promised a warmer day, but as I walked, all I could perceive was the unrelenting dullness and gloom that seemed to grip this morning. Each raindrop mirrored the weight of the heart, and I wondered if the weather could ever reflect the turmoil of people within.

Ah, it can’t be all gloom, for days have always held a promise, a glimmer of hope. A shift, a subtle switch turning away from something daunting. With this outer gloom, I find the power within to refuse its grasp and welcome sunshine, even if only in my thoughts. Amid gray skies and damp sidewalks, I carry the sunshine of my dreams, a radiant ember of optimism that burns despite the gloomy surroundings.

As I sat in the classroom, I came prepared for interaction, armed with the determination to break through the cloud of gloom. Surely, my inner light burned ever so slowly, like a candle’s flame from morning to noon. Glancing out of the window, my eyes met a glimmer of sunshine dancing across the grey divide, a determined interloper amidst the overcast clouds. In that fleeting moment, my heart sent forth a radiant, determined smile, as if to say, ‘I, too, can pierce through the darkest of days.

The sunshine, as the weatherman had promised, rushed forth with a radiant determination, swiftly dimming the greys that had clouded the day. Its golden light, a strong blade from the heavens, met the promise uttered earlier, a covenant with the heart. And as the world outside transformed, so did the world within. With each sunbeam, is a turn away from gloom, a moment realized that even the darkest days could be conquered by the brilliance of hope.

A promise is a promise. The weatherman got it accurate this time. As I left the classroom, the ocean summoned me to bask in the glory of sunlit kisses, exhaling gratitude for its warmth upon my cheeks. At that moment, I understood that just as the weatherman could forecast the sunshine, so could I forecast the light within me, and I would carry it through even the cloudiest of days. Grateful for the gloom. Grateful for sunshine and warmth.

Lani Domaloy, Filipino-Canadian writer

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