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He stood there for a moment in amazement, taking in all the beauty that he had witnessed. A grand feeling of recognition had come over him, like he had seen her before, known her before, and LOVED her before. He wondered ‘how could that be?’ when this was the first time his eyes had ever laid upon her. She was beautiful to him. A beauty that was completely familiar,yet he could barely make sense of this familiarity.
He had only stumbled upon this place by accident, wandering around the lands in search of something…anything. What that something was, he had yet to find out. He only knew that something deep inside of him had called unto him, beckoning him to set upon a quest. He did his best to avoid this ‘calling” for as long as he could, however one day his inner voice could no longer be ignored.
He went to his family and informed them that he would be leaving his village and had no idea of when he would return. He explained to them how there was something, greater than himself, that was asking him to go beyond all that he had ever known. All the lands, the borders, and boundaries he had never crossed were now screaming for him to come and discover them. He had no clear direction, no map, nowhere in particular to be, he only knew that he had to answer this calling with all his heart and set out at once.
Early one morning, before the sun rose over his village, he gathered his things and left quietly. He let that inner voice guide him, turning him left and right….allowing it to take him over hills, across small streams, and through forest he had never seen before. It was his time to be silent, and just take in every moment. He’d never felt so alive, so free. His whole life he had been bound by rules, rites of passage, and also by his family, but this moment was for him. With every step that he took, he was becoming more and more unrestricted, more and more liberated, more and more free. The further he traveled away from his village, the freer he felt. It was as if he was a bird, and in this moment he was learning to fly.
He’d come across some friendly tribes along the way who allowed him to live temporarily with them. He found himself so mesmerized by the many strangers who were so willing to open their doors to him & share their food with him. He’d stay with them for as long as he could, but then that inner voice would sound off again, and he’d hear “It’s time to move” so he’d gather up his belongings once again, and continue on his journey.
He kept count of his many days and nights as he sat under the stars in silence. The sounds of nature served as his lullaby, soothing him. In the distance he’d hear so many creatures calling out into the night, and he LOVED every moment of it. He witnessed a peace he had never known before in this world. A peace that he wanted to expand upon, a peace that he wished he could bottle up and carry with him along his journey, so that one day he could bring this same peace back to his village.
One morning, as he awakened, he opened his eyes to a beautiful blue bird’s song. He was astonished that the bird was so close to him, so fearless. The bird sat perched upon a log that rested above his head. He could do nothing but smile.
As he sat up, he began speaking to the bird, asking what it was doing. The bird spoke back in song. He pulled out some bread from his bag, and laid some crumbs out for the bird. The bird stepped back, stretched his wings as far as he could, and sang to him once more. He got up, and began to pack his things in preparation for the day’s journey. The bird stood watch over him. The moment he had everything packed, the bird began to fly whisking around the man.
“So I have a companion on this journey?”
The bird took off in front of him, as if to lead him. Something inside of the man knew to follow. The bird flew ahead, and then would fly back to the man as if to say “hurry!” He had no idea where he was being led to, only that he must follow the bird’s path which had now become his own. They were one, flying together.
This went on for most of the morning, until suddenly the man came upon a beautiful lake. The bird stopped. The man, out of breath, sat down beside a tall tree. The bird landed beside him and sang. He hopped from one side, then to another.
“So this is what you wanted me to see? A lake? “
The bird replied in song, a melody that melted his heart. Then he flew away. The man sat and watched him disappear beyond the trees. He laughed to himself realizing that he spent most his morning following a bird. Is that what this journey was about? At least he was left in what can only be described as paradise. He had no idea of where he was, but only that he had never seen colors so vibrant. The trees, the grass, the water, even the sky seemed to speak to him. He lay back against the tree, and took in his surroundings.
Suddenly a woman appeared. He slowly sat up and moved silently behind the tree. For some reason, he felt he should hide. She was alone, and he certainly had no intentions of startling her, but immediately he noticed her. She was tall, with hips that swayed with the wind. She lay in the grass, and smiled to herself. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He watched as she dived into the lake, and swam over beneath a waterfall, resting there.
He greeted her.
Without even flinching, she turned directly to him as if she knew he had been there all along, yet she didn’t speak. She just stared. Their eyes locked.
He spoke again.
She turned toward the trees slowly, looked back at him once again, smiled, and disappeared behind the trees.
He realized that he was stuck where he stood, taken over by a mere moment. He didn't know if he should take off after her, or stay put. All he knew was that he had never seen anyone like her in his lifetime.
She felt like home. She felt like everything he knew and didn’t know. It was as if in the very moment that their eyes locked, his whole life flashed before his eyes. Everything he wanted, everything he needed rested right there with this mysterious woman.
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