Tall with the Trees

His mother calling him to serve bed coffee at 5 a.m. saw a lot in him. His father saw in him his finest investment for their old age pension. But to the first customer who saw him at 5.30 in the morning he meant nothing much. The newspaper he threw in carefully meant much more to them than him.

When he went back home and woke up his little brother to prepare for his study, he saw an annoying bully or a loving mentor depending upon his own mood. When he rushed to office in his bicycle old men saw yet another of irritating fast young men that traffic the road these days. As he reached the office his immediate superior who was his trainer saw a Man Friday in him. His office-in-charge congratulated himself on having found him, when he had time to reflect in the morning. The ancient cashier in the office indulgently smiled upon a foster grand-son in him when he was in his good mood as he generally was so early in the morning. The free-lance author saw a 273 word story in him and took him in a trip down the Time Machine.

He was holding a shovel in his hand. He looked seventy five but was ten years older. His vast woods around him gazed upon him contentedly. He tended their roots and after some more years his ashes would fertilize them further. As the trees looked up, he too walked towards the sun. But how many hurricanes and pests to steadily overcome before walking into the sun! 

But this child is the father of that man!

Swami Sampurnananda, 22 October 2003.