this one’s for you…

 

Once upon a time there was a woman in her mid-sixties who noticed that she had lived her entire life in the same small town.  And although she had spent decades enthusiastically dreaming about traveling and seeing the world, she had never taken a single step to make this dream a reality.

 

Finally, she woke up on the morning of her 65th birthday and decided that now was the time!  She sold all of her possessions except for some essential items she needed, packed these items into a backpack, and began her journey out into the world.  The first several days on the road were amazing and filled with awe – with every step forward she felt like she was finally living the life she had dreamed.

 

But a few short weeks later, the days on the road started taking a toll on her.  She felt misplaced and she missed the familiar comforts of her old life.  As her feet and legs grew more and more sore with each new step, her mood also took a turn for the worse.

 

Eventually she stopped walking, took off her backpack, slammed it on the ground, and sat down beside it as tears began streaming down her cheeks.  She stared hopelessly down a long winding road that once led to an amazing world, but now seemed to lead only to discomfort and unhappiness.  “I have nothing!  I have nothing left in my life!” she shouted out loud at the top of her lungs.

 

Coincidentally, a renowned guru and life adviser from a nearby village was resting quietly behind a pine tree adjacent to where the woman was sitting.  When the woman began shouting, the guru heard every word and he felt it was his duty to help her.  Without thinking twice he jumped out from behind the pine tree, grabbed her backpack, and ran into the forest that lined both sides of the road.  Stunned and in complete disbelief, the woman started crying even harder than before, to the point of near breathlessness.

 

“That backpack was all I had,” she cried. “And now it’s gone!  Now everything is gone in my life!”

 

After about ten minutes of much-needed tears, the woman gradually collected her emotions, stood up again and began staggering slowly down the road.  Meanwhile the guru cut through the forest and secretly placed the backpack in the middle of the road just a short distance ahead of the woman.

 

When the woman’s teary eyes fell upon the backpack, she almost couldn’t believe what she was seeing – everything she thought she had just lost was once again right in front of her.  She couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear.  “Oh, thank heavens!” the woman exclaimed.  “I am so grateful!  Now I definitely have what I need to continue onward…”