a part of ourselves

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy
For what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves
We must die to one life before we can enter another."
~Anatole France~

When I read this quote, I was instantly struck with it's poignancy and truthfulness. Change is difficult, even when it is for the better. It carries an inherent melancholy because we truly are leaving a part of ourselves behind. Whether we are leaving a home, a school, a job, a family, a lover, or a city, what we leave will always hold a place in our hearts. Accordingly, we leave a piece of ourselves with that which we have left left behind. Halls will resonate with our laughter; memories will permeate the walls that once embraced our lives; hearts will be left with whispers of our love.

In quiet moments, we ourselves return to things left behind. To places and loved ones and memories. Moving as ghosts through a landscape at once familiar and unknown. All that is left behind is memories. People and places move on. Progress. But our memories are frozen in time, awaiting our visits as one might await the return of a loved one. If we allow ourselves to return too often, we have no choice but to relive the past. And that's not living. It's a sort of half-life, perhaps. But the true joy in life comes from letting go of the past, embracing change, and moving on.