The march of time is forever forward, whether we look back or stay in the present. There is no halting the advance. The theme of time weaves through the series like a character whispering to the reader. Those harried, barely audible sounds cast an air of urgency upon the narrative.
Now. It must all be done now, or never.
Many of us can empathize with the desperation felt when rushed for time. It is especially upsetting when life or limb are threatened by the failure to complete tasks on time. Or, the loss of loved ones, one’s self, or one’s place. That in itself is a horror.
The sense of time slipping away is one with which I am deeply familiar. Through much of my twenties and thirties, I had a nagging sense that the dreams and accomplishments that I wanted for myself were growing ever more unattainable, because, for some reason, I was failing to accomplish the steps that would carry me to them. It isn’t always the choices that we make that propel us to our desires. It is more precisely the randomness of probable outcomes that decide for us. There is only so much control we can have over our lives when other people have impacts upon us. This should not ignore the history we carry, and how that knowledge prepares us to do our work here on Earth.
There are those who would love to hammer us over the head about being responsible and making decisions that we own in the end, but they ignore that we don’t live in a vacuum. Absolutely, I agree that we have to decide and make our moves in order to accomplish our goals, but that isn’t the end of it. Those actions have to play out and we are never utterly responsible for everything that comes of them. Whether it is the impacts of negative or positive experiences in our youth, extensive or limited knowledge and education, or the activities of others in the moment, we are at the mercy of a multitude of variables. Let’s not forget that opportunity cannot always be made. For instance, I couldn’t conjure publishing connections from the air, and I knew no one in the business. Thus, I went to school, but I only made academic connections. Once graduated, contacts came few and far between. The internet wasn’t so easily maneuvered at that time. It has taken years to develop my network, and there were many dead ends on the road to publishing that came with the effort. What I wouldn’t have given to have trustworthy connections with which to work. It took a lot to find them, and it often seemed I worked harder than others to reach colleagues and maintain them.
In Trailokya, Maiel rushes through each of the books, propelled toward a destiny she isn’t even clear about, but readers will find that the result is exactly what her heart has desired the entire time. Maiel’s goals are inhibited and/or enabled by those around her. Things are hidden, slowly revealed, or disguised. She has to build a network outside of the existing one for her specific tasks during the time of the books. Those old connections either don’t serve her to advance, or they are incapable of doing such. Some even go so far as to outright refuse. Then, there are those in opposition. Our network isn’t always those who have our best interest in mind, or those we consider colleagues. A network can contain enemies. Network simply means a group of individuals working toward similar or interconnected goals.
The most poignant examples of time and the stress it causes is the story of Holly. Throughout the second book, we spend a great deal of time with this young woman. We feel her agony at being blocked from her dreams even as what she believes is a path is offered to her. We die a little inside with her as doors are closed, as charlatans offer fake assistance, as she flounders despite her efforts. This makes the abuse she experiences at the hands of her lover ever greater. Holly shows us that time isn’t enough sometimes. She shows us that time can be an enemy, as it ticks away, taunts and teases.
Perhaps even there is a metaphor couched in there about aging. We humans are given only so much time in which to live, and none of us knows what that amount of time is. Certainly, within the text, Maiel knows her mission and the number of years that the tour will take. The humans incarnated on Earth do not. Thus, Holly feels especially grieved by the march of time in light of her stagnant life. Imagine feeling like you are pressing down on the gas, but your car won’t go faster than a crawl, and sometimes it doesn’t go at all. Spinning your wheels in life is a big frustration.
When the path is unclear, we can still travel upon it, but it will take us so much longer to achieve the goals we seek.
Will you join Maiel and Holly on their paths? Start The Trailokya Trilogy for free on Wattpad…
Leave a Reply