The Torch Has Been Passed
There he stands, the old man. I’ve seen pictures of my ancestors’ final days. They are old men, too, leaning on their scythe with a spent hourglass in hand. You can see the aged wrinkles on their faces, white beards hanging down to their waists, a tired expression with a glimpse of happiness on their face, knowing that they’ve left a wish of prosperity to their descendants. But this is not the man I see before me.
Yes, he is old, but the scars and baggage he has accumulated in 2024 are greater than those that preceded him. His back bent low, his expression not one of hope for the future he must pass on. He looks at me with foreboding and sadness. He hesitates as he passes his burdens on me and slowly hobbles away to join his brethren.
‘Tis the next day. It is 2025. I stand here alone. It is said that the age of puberty has grown shorter and shorter over the years. I am a case in point. I should be a baby. I should be slowly taking in the information left by my father and age throughout the 365+ days of my life at a normal pace until I reach the time to pass on at the end of December. Puberty, for me, should not occur until at least May. The cold months of January through March are meant for me to learn about the past and create building blocks for the future. April through June are when I grow the seeds of my knowledge, blossom, and learn more about who I am. July through September is when I bear the fruit of all my endeavors. Leaving me from October to December to forge the pathway for my future child and the role he must take the following year when he takes my place.
But here I sit, the day after. My sash claiming I am the newborn 2025 is already tattered. I need to be the adult I am not yet, for there is so much to deal with that was left to me that cannot wait. If my father looked the way he did when he passed, what am I to become when I have so much to fix before I’ve even started?
I call to the friends and supporters of my ancestors. I reach out to Hope, Compassion, Acceptance, Empathy, Respect, Love, and Trust. I plead to Intelligence, Understanding, Truth, and Community to take a stronger role in my tasks.
I am more than a compiler of data, a collector of records, an observer of what passes. I am an active participant in this world. My appearance and demeanor represent all that is happening—the joys, the sorrows, the ups and downs, the rights and the wrongs.
Can I age out before my time is up? I don’t know. It has never been tested, and I do not wish to find out. I want to live a full life. I want to age gracefully, not in shame, as my father did. I want to be remembered as someone to emulate. I do not want to leave to my offspring what was left to me.
Therein lies my tale. It is but the day after my father entrusted me with my task. I believe a better future is in store for me and the world. How it ends, time will tell.
