Do you think it’s possible that human souls can get tethered to objects if they put enough love into them? In fifth grade, I gave my Grandma a plant. A beautiful little bush-like plant with vibrant green and orange leaves, all with brown soil in an orange flower pot. She watered that plant every single day. Personally, I’ve never had a house plant for too long, but Grandma, she kept that plant alive for years.
In eighth grade, the leaves were still as vibrant as they had been years before, still full of life, with water running in their veins, fueling their limbs to bend towards the sun. On March sixteenth, 2010, my Grandma passed away. Her beautiful soul was ready to join her family in Heaven, I can only imagine. On that day, the plant died. I tried to revive it, force it to live, but its fruitful leaves grew weary. They withered and refused to drink the water I gave them. They turned brown and fell one by one, onto the parched soil. At first, I felt torn apart, but then I stumbled upon a thought. A dream, more-like.
I’d like to think that she’d cared so much for the plant I had given her, that her soul became tethered. So when she passed, so did the plant. They rose together, into the stars, into the Earth, and into Heaven.
I think that occurs with people as well. When people we love die, the feeling we are left with can be parallel to feeling lost in a black hole. Recently, someone I loved passed ad I felt like I was being choked from the inside out. I felt the walls collapse in around me and I wanted to curl into myself and disappear. I felt the ringing in my ears and my eyes widened so much I thought they might pop out.
I truly believe that over time, the love you share with another person tethers your souls together. No matter why they were in your life, they've changed your story somehow. When they die, they take a part of your soul with them. That is what the empty feeling is; the feeling that you've lost a part of yourself.
Over time, you feel that you've healed but you know that you'll never be fully complete again. But I don't think that you regain that part of your soul. I don't believe that there is any deeper meaning, or cosmic reason for it. It's just how reality goes. Life isn't a fairy tale. It's not a story book with a guaranteed happy ending. I think that you live as fully as you can, keep on rolling when faced with pain and loss, and just make it through.
My hope for those that are grieving it to validate their feelings, rather than just thinking "I'm fine. I'll be fine." Admit that "I'm not fine, but that's okay." It's okay to not be okay. Just remember, one day, you'll wake up and see that the sun is still shining.
