I love fables and short stories that make you think about life differently. This one really hit home!
Once there was an old wise man named Sviatozar who lived in a remote village. One day his nephew came to visit. As a child, he had often visited the old man, and now he did this only rarely and for a short time. This time the young man was sad, somber, and obviously upset about something. Sviatozar asked what happened to him. The young man said that he suffered a serious setback and now will never be able to achieve his goals.
The nephew asked his uncle to give him advice what he should do next, but Sviatozar just asked his nephew to lead him to the hills. The road was difficult and long, but the nephew immediately agreed to help his uncle. When they reached the hills, Sviatozar said that he needed to go to the top of the highest hill. The young man was surprised, but decided to help his uncle, because the old man had never climbed there.
With great difficulty the nephew helped his uncle to climb to the hill, sometimes even carrying the old man on his back. At the top of the hill, sweating, he put his uncle on the ground and laughed happily.
“Do you remember that when you were a little boy sometimes you returned home with tears in your eyes?” Sviatozar asked him. “The boys teased you. Do you remember why?”
The young man looked around and nodded. He recalled that as a child he often played there with other boys. “The boys called this hill an Everest, because only few people could get to its top. At that time, I was unable to get there. This hill seemed an impregnable rock to me,” said the nephew.
“And today you not only climbed there, but dragged up me, too,” Sviatozar said and looked at his nephew. “How could you do this? What do you think?”
“Perhaps I just grew up,” the young man shrugged. “I became stronger and fitter.”
“And the formidable Everest suddenly turned into a harmless mound, “said Sviatozar. “That is my advice.”
When we look at life and our problems as one big Mount Everest, it is impossible to see how to surpass it. Many give up on dreams because they can’t see their way to making it happen. It takes one step. One decision. One choice to move forward. At some point all those little steps carry you to the top.
And not any less important are the people around you – your tribe. Those people that support you through all your challenges, that are there on your journey with you – don’t forget them. Thank them and love them as they do you!
Blessings – E