Building Beyond the Jars

She quickly scurried around, juggling jars of various things. One full of yellow and bright leaves, flowers, and rocks. Another full of the same items but in blue, pink, green, and red. Each one was a representation of a moment in her life. She had a place for each one on the shelves she had meticulously built and arranged. Suddenly, a thud outside her home shook the walls. The jars shook from their place on the shelf and inched toward the edge. She, the one they call Elora, quickly threw open her windows and searched for what was causing the shaking of her home and the thing that was threatening the comfort of her routine. She noticed a tall man dressed in a black t shirt and blue jeans standing outside her home, his back facing her as he motioned for another load of lumber to be dropped. The lumber clattered to the ground, and Elora’s home shook once again. One of the jars, the one decorated with red, crashed to the ground.

“HEY! You can’t be doing that! You’re destroying everything!” Her words were sharp and clear. She huffed and slammed her door open, ready to confront the people who seemed to not care about anyone but themselves. The man turned to greet her, his eyes steady and firm. She held her head high, not showing any fear or restraint toward what was happening.

“You are messing up my home with all this shaking about!” Elora tsked at the man. The man spoke in a level voice, no evidence of anger toward the woman who was showing all of hers.

“I am sorry that my work is disturbing your home, but this has to be done.” The workers behind them dropped more lumber; another jar shattered, the pink one this time. Elora’s face flushed with embarrassment at her outburst.

“I’m sorry, I just spent a lot of time getting everything nice and neat... I was just frustrated.” The man graced her with just a small smile, enough to show that he understood. As she began to soften toward the stranger, the workers dropped their last load of materials; every jar fell off the shelf. Yellow hit the ground first, and then it was buried under green and blue. The colors muddling together and the only thing that was obvious was that her home was crumbling, the foundation cracking and creaking.

“My home... It’s no longer safe...” Her heart aching and her voice betraying her attempt to stay level. Tears like petals fell to the ground. Her body shook like the leaves in the wind. Breath heavy like rocks resting at the bottom of the river. All of her memories, all of her dreams, both painful and beautiful, gone. Elora slowly settled onto the ground, her legs tucked up to her chest. The man moved toward her slowly, gently. He placed a hand on her shoulder and crouched beside her.

“It doesn’t seem like it right now, but it is better that it collapsed. You could have been seriously hurt if you stayed in there.” His words were comforting in a way, but they did not reverse what happened.

“My jars... they’re gone,” her words empty, she felt numb.

“Well, why were these jars important?” The man asked. She stopped and wondered, why were they so important? She spent so long putting those jars together, each one a demonstration of how she viewed herself.

“They… aren’t that important, I guess. I can always make more if I want.” Elora wiped away the tears that streamed down her cheeks.

“I’m Sorrel. I’m sorry that your jars, your walls, and your comfort are gone.” He started to stand up and looked around at the leaves falling from the trees, the flowers blooming, and the rocks that lay scattered about.

“You know…” Sorrel started but stopped, realizing he did not even know her name.

“Elora... My name is Elora,” her voice starting to find strength.

“Elora, you can always start again, and if you are willing, I would like to help you find a better foundation for your home. And maybe you can find something more than jars, like maybe a garden?” His voice soft, tender, something comforting in the wreckage.

Elora raised her head, a deep sigh being released, maybe she can let go of those memories and start building a garden to let them grow instead.