The Boy Lost In The Woods

A little boy went for a walk. Lost in thought, he ended up deep into the woods.

The peaceful surrounding was an invitation for him to continue walking, without concern for where he was going. The sounds of the birds chirping meant he was not alone. The breeze was a guiding hand, softly showing him the way. The path previously traveled by others had ended, yet he continued walking, unaware and unbothered.

The sun began to set, and before long it was dark. The boy tripped on a fallen branch and that is when he took a momentary pause from thinking. He realized that he was lost and his heart sank. There was no one in sight, no breeze guiding him and no birds keeping him company. The darkness outside gave birth to unpleasant thoughts inside. He was scared and although was physically stationary, he was mentally running fast, nowhere.

Exhausted and frightened, he began to cry. He continued to cry, almost as if he was secretly hoping it would help him forget that he was lost in the woods, at night. He was alone and felt it inside.

After some time, the tears stopped. There were no more left inside. All that was left inside, in that moment of vulnerability, were his thoughts. His scary thoughts. Thoughts about what might happen to him, alone in the woods, at night.

Almost ready to give up, he raised his head to look around. He did not see all that it was that scared him. He realized that all that he was scared of was only in his mind, not in the woods.

In that moment, perhaps for the first time in his life, he saw his thoughts. Upon seeing his thoughts, he was no longer bound by them.

His mind had been like a cave with bats flying around wildly and in that moment of seeing, a light shone brightly causing these bats to scatter. The scary thoughts were no longer in sight.

This light helped him see. What felt like hours passed in mere seconds.

He saw that the past and the future did not exist anywhere but in his mind. Upon seeing his mind, all thoughts of the past and future scattered. All that was left was the present moment.

He saw that he had to experience hardship and despair to see clearly. He tells himself to remember this the next time that he feels down, as there will be a next time.

He saw the universal truth that everything changes. His environment, relationships and beliefs have all changed and he can only assume they will continue to change.

He saw his own suffering, caused not by others, but by his attitude towards reality. He wishes for others to be relieved from their suffering through understanding it.

He saw that his world is a mirror, reflecting back to him whatever he is in that moment. When he smiles, his world shines brightly. When he worries, his world becomes a sea of worry.

In that moment of wisdom, he rubs his eyes and looks around.

He is lying down, in bed. He had dreamt about being lost in the woods. He feels light, free and at peace, unable to remember why. Despite his trying, he cannot recall what it was that he dreamt of. However he feels the effects of it and knows it was a powerful journey somewhere. He vows to carry this feeling with him and brighten his world with it.

The boy had been lost. He was stuck in the darkness of his mind. Upon taking a moment to see his own thoughts, he was no longer his thoughts. He found his light, which helped him see reality. He then felt at peace.

He had to get lost for him to find his light. And once he saw the light, he became the light.