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Not The Shortest Story
A
cool breeze affects people differently, depending upon actions and
dispositions. This one brought slight yet pleasing goosebumps to the
nap of Lenels' neck, and she sighed deeply as she took in the evenings'
skyline sunset. Her father had not always been so close to her,
but of course, the recent changes had opened his eyes.
"Daddy" she began, "Why did people have all those bad thoughts before?"
Her father
spoke assuredly "All mankind is capable of thinking all types of
thoughts, sweetheart." Now he took a deep breath, letting it out with a
finality that sounded like the conclusion of a long perplexing
arithmatic problem; "We just needed to learn which thoughts to nurture,
and which ones to eliminate. And why, that is so important." She
pondered this momentarily as a pair of mated cardinals flew across the
lawn and into the bushes to nest for the night. "And why is it so
important daddy?" as if he hadnt already told her. "Always remember" he
began "what we think, we eventually create!" "so" she began her
thoughtout response, "if i think of a really funny clown, will i create
one?" She smiled broadly, as she looked up into her fathers worn and
wrinkled face, and he broke out in mild laughter. "yes, sweetheart! You
may very well end up doing just that" "but let me ask you a question
dear" "Okay" she quipped as she sat straight up, sensing a challenge
from someone she wanted to please. "Just what makes you happy, each
day?" Hoping to buy some time to think, she asked slowly. "What do you
mean?" half smiling, sensing she just wanted to find a 'right' answer.
He replied. "i mean, at the end of the day, any day, imagine you are
very happy, content, tired enough to go to sleep but not necessarally
wanting to do so." "now tell me, what makes you feel that way?"
"Oh thats easy!" she shot back. "I spent all day with you and mommy and
my friends came over and we played and ate stuff that we liked and not
even one of us had anything but a great time!" "A perfect answer" he
concluded, and her smile grew wider. He knew; that she knew he knew, it
was the right answer, for her. "When you plan a day like that" he began
again, "And something else happens to mess up your plans, your
happiness, what do we do about that?" she did not need thinking time
for this one; "Well" she started, "since all of life helps us, one way
or another, to learn and grow, we look at the different results, the
things that messes up our plans, as an 'Xtra' and try to re-make our
plans starting over from where the 'Xtra' happened."
She was
practiced at knowing 'Action Control' , and dad smiled proudly, and
nodded an aforemation with the word "precisely."
She gazed at
the disappearing sun as she spoke "you and mommy were saying earlier,
there were no more homeless people; daddy, how did people live with no
home?" Rasing his eyebrows at all his youngster heard and then
reflected upon, he replied "before we became aware of the real way to
live together, we lived by..." (he hesitated, trying to remember a
mindset that he worked very hard to forget) "we kind of lived by
working against each other." "What do you mean?", a phrase that he had
now thought he would never tire of hearing her ask, and maybe even a
phrase that someday would not need him to answer. "Well" now 'he'
sought to buy a little thinking time. "At one time, before we all
learned, there were only so many, uh, 'things to go around'. so
everybody had to search, or work for, or make the things we wanted and
needed." "Dont we still do that daddy?" Her eyes slightly quizzical and
her voice climbing slightly. "Yes, Yes, of course, dear" He affirmed
quickly trying to come up with the right words. "But before, we had
systems in place, in place by beliefs or by tradition, that included
all kinds of incorrect actions that were accepted and used to take care
of all the 'xtras' we experienced." "like fighting , and war?" she
jumped ahead of him. "Yes dear, they were included in some of our
accepted, yet incorrect systems." "Of course things are easier now, all
we had to do was imagine a peaceful conclusion. then work to bring it
into being." "So why didnt people do that before?" she cross-examined.
"Oh boy" he smiled to himself "well, some of us could and some of us
could not; and alot of us were just to timid to stand up and voice what
we thought!" It came blurting out, as he realized this might confuse
her a little bit. But his mis-givings were quickly layed to rest as she
wisely retorted "and why not?" "If i know something is right, ill stand
up and say so." Tears began forming in his eyes, as he realized the
connection between the quote; "and a child shall lead them" and the
reality that had come to pass. "as well you should sweetheart, as well
you should" was all he could think to say. "But most of our past was
lived out as habits." he finally continued. "now we see things as new
all the time- even if it has happened before, and we strive to notice
every little thing, no matter how unimportant we may believe it may
be." he felt kind of satisfied, with that answer, having hidden his
tears from his daughters notice. Yet he felt she would soon follow
up....... he was right. "but i thought everything is important, isnt
it?" She said, completing the circle of thought that he recognized as a
tie from past to present. "Yes my dear" he said continuing her
thoughtful direction "we now realize that everything small and large is
very important; and many of the 'Xtras' we had come to experience and
dislike were merely manifestations of those things gone unnoticed."
The thoughtfulness and insight of
his daughter never ceased to amaze him as she asked "just many 'Xtras',
not all?" "HA" he had to laugh, for he knew he was caught in the trap
of reality, and by his own daughter! "We can't notice aboslutely
everything" he confessed. "yea, i guess so" she conceeded a bit
unwillingly. "but we are at a good starting place to try" and with that
her father was taken aback as this new positive attitude manifested
itself in such a young person. "Yes, i suppose we are" he agreed,
as he tried in vain to imagine
such a state. "I mean, it didnt take long for people to end the
fighting, and the homeless people, and everybody is getting food now,
right?" She demanded. "Yes, you're correct. We are at the point now,
where almost all the past troubles have been successfully addressed."
he admitted, "but the truth is we took many thousands of years to reach
this point of learning, and i truly don't know where it will lead us,
but then thats the exciting part!" "Yea" she smiled as she agreed
"everyday is a new one, huh?" "that's the truth, love. everyday is a
new one" and he briefly let his mind wander into tomorrows plans. "and
all because of a trick- Ha!" she exclaimed. "Yes, i guess you could say
that was the case" her father admitted thoughtfully. "so why didnt it
happen before?" and her question pierced the 'now' they both shared, as
if the clock had stopped ticking, and time itself paused, waiting for
an answer.
The cardinals
sang quietly in the bushes across the yard, as a plane glided
noiselessly above them, leaving no trail. Her mom pulled into their
drive, silently, as all the combustion engines of old had been
replaced, The quiet of the moment was broken only by a neighbor,
calling out across the street. "Hey Divad! Can you Vol for an hour
tonight? group ten between seven and eight?" "Sure, count me in" he
said as he smiled and waved. "So..." she insisted, as he slowly
re-adjusted his attention. "Why didnt all this happen before?" her eyes
revealing her sincerity. "Lenel," he began "Like i said before, we got
used to doing things out of habit; that means without thinking. It was
easier for people to just go along with what already was, and hard for
us to imagine, starting, creating, or trying something new." He
continued as if being forced into a confession "most people only saw
something to gain for themselves by going along with what already was"
Lenel seemed to ponder a second, then said "it kind of sounds like
people were, asleep or something." "yes" he admitted "thats a pretty
fair discription." "Well then its a good thing that guy wrote that
story" she exclaimed! "A darn good thing" he agreed. "Dinner's
ready you two!" her mom called from the kitchen window that overlooked
the yard where they were sitting. "OK-coming" Lenel called back as dad
smiled and waved.
As they slowly
left the company of nature, she had to get in one last question. "So
how did he know that his little story would make such a difference?"
she asked. Holding open the back door, for his little girl, he smiled
lovingly and said "He didnt, sweetheart" and then paused and finished
"he just took a chance, for as you think so shall you do. And remember
what grandma Grace said; 'the world is the property of everyone if we
just have the sense to know it.' "
This Story is Free- NO Intellectual Property Rights Reserved.
-Dusk |
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