Stepping out of the station into the familiar fresh scent of the morning air, I chose not to make the usual detour and went on a path tried and tested; and witnessed a rare sight: (as did the multitude of others commuting via the same way) a lone tree along the pathway had burst into bloom and the blanket of green below the rather sparse foliage was dotted with specks of sunflower yellow, the lovechild of weak stems and the morning breeze, or perhaps merely gravity. Inexplicably, the picture painted before me brought a smile to my face.

Cutting a solitary figure along the return path, and casting my eyes upon the scene again, I suddenly wondered to myself: if trees could feel just like us, would the rest of the trees be jealous of this one that had bloomed faster than them? Maybe it might seem only natural, and perhaps even right, that they should be, as that tree diverted all the attention away from the rest, and clearly stood out amongst them all. I then realized that this was not how I should be thinking, but rather, the trees should celebrate as one, as one tree blooming ahead of the others was merely a signal that the rest had the potential to do so as well, as they were all the same, and rather than diverting attention away, it served to improve the entire scene and bring cheer to an otherwise dreary picture.

Pointless as this may seem, since none of us (or at least the people I know) can talk to trees, it was kind of an epiphany for me as it put some things in perspective, and made me realize that sometimes the way I think and the way I feel (though uncontrollable) are unreasonable, ungrounded and merely taking myself to task. Rather than fill myself up with resentment and despair and longing and regret, maybe I should learn to view things differently. Simple as this may sound, it's no small feat and actually quite an ordeal to fight those deadly icepicks chipping away at the surface of my heart when things happen and that idiot of a brain puts malice and suspicion into my core.

It's inevitable that some people will shine brighter than others.

What differentiates us from each other is what makes us special and unique; and more often than not, what endears us to other people. To label the surreal feeling of being able to relate to another as merely 'clicking', seems to be the understatement of the century - for this feeling is what lays the foundation of our relationships and forges the steel bonds between us and those that we cherish. The ingredient of essence is of course time, as well as the willingness to keep up the relationship, ensuring that we are able to stand the test of time.

The world is full of exceptional people who might be there in our lives and we barely even realize that they are there. Though it's hard to have a place in your heart for everyone that you know, in our amazingly-interlinked school, we should open our eyes and appreciate that they are there as part of our lives to add color and vibrancy.

Sometimes we just need to learn how to smile until our cheek muscles get hard. (:

And now the pieces that fall into place in my life; they just wouldn't rhyme without you
My path takes me on faraway journeys, but never fails to bring me back before your face
The state of my heart, the place where we are
Was written in the stars