shahbaazshariff
Maya lived in a small house near the sea. Every day, she watched the sun come up and go down. She loved the ocean, but it also scared her. The waves were pretty, but they always took things away.
When Maya was a little girl, she lost her favorite wooden boat to the water. Later, her best friend moved to another city. Then, her old dog died.
"Everything I love always leaves," Maya thought. She began to live a "small" life. She stopped having big dreams. She stopped making plans. She thought that if she didn't care too much, it wouldn't hurt when things went away.
One evening, she sat on a bench by the water. A young boy was crying because his ice cream fell on the ground.
"Don't worry," Maya said quietly. "It's just ice cream. It was going to melt anyway."
The boy looked at her with big, sad eyes. "But it tasted so good for a moment," he said. "I'm glad I had it."
Maya went home and sat in the dark. She realized she was so scared of things ending that she forgot to enjoy them while they were happening. She was so worried about the "end" that she was missing her life.
The next morning, Maya didn't hide. She walked to the beach and picked up a beautiful blue shell. She knew that one day the shell might break or the waves might take it back. But for today, it was hers.
She started living her life in big, bold ways again. She learned that even though saying goodbye is hard, the happy times before the goodbye are what make life good.