THE RETURN TO YOURSELF

THE RETURN TO YOURSELF

One day the air was playing tag with itself and a little puff found himself separated from the main grouping. He had whooshed into something blue and round. He had been unhappy with his life and had wished for something to change so that he could be happy again, until now, nothing had.

“Look at me!” he said to himself, “I’m beautiful! Everyone should see me now!” the little blue puff of air floated away to show off his newfound beauty. As he looked down at the grass waving in the breeze the little puff of air felt superior and yelled, “Hey you grass! Look at me! I am beautiful and you all look the same, I am special! Look at me!!!” the grass just chuckled and paid no attention. This made the puff of air in his balloon feel let down and a little angry.

The little puff in its balloon covering was not to be ignored and continued on his way until he came to the forest. “Hey you forest! Look at me! I am beautiful and you all look the same, I am special! Look at me!!!” again, the forest just chuckled and paid no attention to the little balloon. With each rejection, the little puff in his balloon got angrier and more determined to be thought of as special.

So the little balloon floated out over the ocean, “Hey you water! Look at me! I am beautiful and you all look the same, I am special! Look at me!!!” as before the ocean paid no attention and went on its way.

The balloon was becoming very angry now because no one would admire his new found beauty and exclaim about how special he was. “I am beautiful and I am special,” he grumbled to himself, “Why do others ignore me?” “It isn’t fair and they are making me unhappy because they don’t think I’m special!”

He floated and grumbled and grumbled and floated for a long time all the while becoming angrier with others and increasingly unhappy because of what he thought they were thinking about him. Suddenly he heard laughter and decided to go see who was having fun while he was so miserable. To his astonishment he saw up ahead an entire group of balloons laughing and playing together. There were all different shapes and colors and they were…happy. Delighted to have found others like himself, he rushed in to their midst and shouted, “Hey you balloons! Look at me! I am beautiful and you all need to admire me because I am special! Look at me!!!”

“What’s so special about you?” one of the group wanted to know. “All the red, round balloons are better than you!” “No! The green ones are best!”  “They are not!” shouted a yellow one, “we are the best!”The little blue balloon was stunned, how could these other balloons think they were more special than him in his new blue form? Other balloons were gathering around, each one declaring themselves the most special and the best of all of the balloons! “How rude! How arrogant of them!” thought the blue balloon and his anger begin to spill out and infect the others. They were soon an angry mob.

He moved away from the arguing crowd and toward the other blue balloons that were beginning to group together, “Where did the laughter and fun go? Why are they arguing? We should be the only ones who are angry, we are the only ones who can be considered the best!” he asked the others. “Well,” answered the other balloons, “ it is obvious that they are jealous of us because we are the better balloon.”

Before he knew what was happening, a fight broke out! There was pushing, shoving, shouting and hitting. What had been just an argument was now a war and balloons were being injured and the ugliness was getting unmanageable. The fight got worse and worse and the little blue balloon was afraid and tried to get away from the horrible mess. As the blue balloon was running away, two somethings happened; first he realized that he had started the battle and the second thing was, he burst!

His beautiful blue was just a shriveled, empty and useless thing, fluttering down to the ground and he found the he was free! He had rejoined with and become once more what he truly was, air! He was once again his true self; happy, carefree and at peace. The rest of the air rejoiced to have him back and welcomed him with love and happiness. “Why aren’t you angry with me for being so vain and arrogant?” the little puff of air asked.

The air considered his question for a moment and answered,” When one of us goes out on their own to discover their path and learn about life as something that they are not, we let them go. As they grow and learn what is on their path, it always bring them back to their source and we are always glad to have them home and welcome them with love. Now what lessons did you learn while you were apart from us?”

The little puff of air thought for a minute and said, “We need to see the air in everyone and love that part of them because we are all part of each other, be true to yourself, don’t waste your time trying to be what you are not, see our likenesses and not try to create differences to fight about.  Is that right?”

The air answered, “Each person learns different lessons but the ones that you have listed are some of the biggest and most universal. Welcome home and be at peace.” The little puff of air, now wiser and at peace with himself gladly embraced his place in the universe.

As people we need to recognize the Universal Energy of Creation that is the animating force in each of us. Look for how we are alike and embrace that and stop fighting over what we perceive as differences. Learn the difference between the “power to” and the “power over” and allow others to be what they are. Bright Blessings, Chessie

© Chessie Roberts 2011, all rights reserved