“People come, people go,” is a famous saying that can bring pain to anyone unable to let go of a precious someone. Moving on is something most people struggle with. It’s overwhelming and the fact of losing someone is difficult to accept. Then, nostalgia and loneliness won’t stop clinging. Naturally, regrets and what-ifs will emerge.
When someone appears in your life, you never expect them to vanish. You get so used to that person being by your side that you think it’s fine if you start to lack communication. You’re aware of their presence, yet you don’t make any efforts in reaching out. Before you know it, the limited time left to spend with that person will end abruptly. Even though you haven’t kept in contact with them that much, only now is their absence apparent. The situation seems hard to grasp, for it feels numb and baffling.
One person left, yet it feels as if you have no one. You fail to notice the people around you. People who worry about the state you’re in, people who try to cheer you up. You want to move on but your emotions contradict your thoughts. You can’t help but get stuck in the past instead of looking forward to the future. It’s a bittersweet feeling. Memories with that person live rent-free in your mind. The battle between the heart and mind weighs on you, leaving you torn on which side to take.
You took their presence in your life for granted, as you had thought that they would be by your side for the rest of it. You ask yourself: if you had spent more time with them, would you have still felt this way after parting? Contemplating, you’d think perhaps the outcome would have been different if you had known any better. The things you used to do together seem worthless now, but a reminder of a delightful past left behind.
It’s easy for an outsider to say, “Just move on,” however, doing it won’t be as easy as saying it. When one thinks about moving on, they also can’t help but think about the memories that have been etched on their minds. They’re afraid to move forward because of the warmth that’s missing. Helplessly, one will think nonstop about other paths their bond could have taken. In the end, we never really know how it feels to move on until we experience it ourselves.
Angel Rosebelle Torayno
Angel Rosebelle Torayno is a 13-year-old high-schooler who grew up in the Philippines and treasured the life she lived amongst her relatives and friends. In 2023, her family moved to England, and this was a big turning point for her. Everything was different from what she was accustomed to.
She likes having her free time in solitude, focusing on the things she wants to do and achieve. The things she enjoys the most are watching anime, playing video games, eating delicious food, and clinging onto the people she feels comfortable with. In school, she tries to excel in all subjects and improve her knowledge. The lessons she finds most interesting are science, psychology, religion studies, and Latin.
Her dream is to work as a lawyer in the future. Smart, intelligent, reasonable, and open-minded is the type of person she wants to be. She wants to give her family a comfortable life and repay them in her own way. She wakes up grateful for every single day, enthused about the future ahead.