Everyone is walking from the periphery of a circle to the center. But every single person’s path to the center is different. It is not a straight line but a crooked path. That center is death — or a place where everyone is equal. The paths traveled are filled with mountains and valleys. Everyone must walk their path on their own, overcoming their difficulties, facing them, and moving on.

Some people’s paths are quick and straight because they do not experience the world much and follow the laws of society or religion. But then there are people whose paths are long and winding — crooked, unfamiliar, and unorthodox. How does one who is on such a path walk it with confidence and gratitude, trusting that they will be okay, knowing that they too will reach the center like everyone else?

Glum Girl also walks a path toward the center. But Glum Girl carries an image in her head — that her path is steep and full of high mountains, and she feels exhausted just walking. She looks at everyone else on their own paths and wonders how they manage to keep going, even laughingly, despite their own mountains and valleys. Glum Girl is stuck in her own head, wishing her path were easier, unable to appreciate that she still has a path to walk — and that she has not yet reached the center.

Oh, Glum Girl — cheer up. Your journey is not over yet. Your path is steep and full of worries, but it can change at any time.

You never know.