when evaluating my essays, my teachers always said that i struggled to write a conclusion. it's true- i can't finish a story. i can't wrap that metaphorical ribbon around the box and i can't lead my characters off into a cinematic vignetted sunset to live in a static state of thoughtless contentment, because that's not the way it works. after climbing a mountain or traversing a tundra, you don't revel in an instantly understood life lesson. you thank the universe that you made it out alive, and then once the winds have calmed again, the harsh realities of the ordeal rush back to you in flickers of ruin. you grapple with the effects of the journey forever, and these effects will grossly guide you to new mountains, new tundras, new journeys, and you'll do it all again. as long as you stick by yourself, there is no conclusion.
