As I walk the pathway, I feel like I am walking in a dream. Every image that passes me by is an illusion, or a reflection of a past event. I feel too that the sand and stone I tread on are a part of me and I a part of them. It won’t be long before I return to dust. I think about my past deeds, some beautiful, others not so palatable.

    I look at my aged mother’s ailing condition. Though I feel greatly for her pains, I console myself that it won’t be for long. Her legs ache, her hands shake, but she still has to go on living those dreaded moments without complains.

    I wonder how my lovely dog, a puppy, five years ago, has declined in agility and strength. I remember noting down that one dog year is equivalent to seven human years. She too is weary and aging with time. As the clock ticks the hours away, I count the span of time she would remain my pet. From dust back to dust is her future, she may not be conscious of.

    My garden of plants, fresh and green, sway under the morning light and in the evening glow. They too exist not knowing when they have to rot and decay, back to dust. If they knew they wouldn’t greet the light of day with such beauty and enthusiasm.

    I remember, reading and learning about the stars, their birth, preservation and death during my physics class. If the stars in the universe themselves have a life cycle akin to life on earth, then there is neither question nor answer about the mysteries surrounding life on earth. Thus I console myself, accepting life’s challenges, as I walk the dream.