FOR MEN ONLY
There is a well-known fact that inside every man there lives a small boy. Sometimes this little boy is in control too much of the time, he believes the world to be a playground and never takes any of life seriously. Sometimes the man is in control all the time. He his rigid, serious and seldom has any fun. Extremes are never good, and therefor a wise man will strive to have balance in his life.
Once there was a man, (and there are some now), who was well aware of the child inside him. This awareness caused the man to feel a sense of happiness and peace. Oh, the man was responsible, with ambitions and goals, but he took the time to listen and respond to that playful child within. For it was through the eyes of a boy that the man saw the wonders of colors in rainbows, sunrises and sunsets. And through the youthful keen sense of smell that he enjoyed the fragrance of flowers. It was a boy's ear that heard the singing of birds, and the secrets sometimes whispered by the wind.
One day the boy noticed that the man had been busy for a long, long time, and that he hadn't heard laughter or even a chuckle coming from the man. He also sensed a hollow, lonely place inside the man's heart. The boy was beginning to experience these sensations, and knew he needed to do something to bring laughter and joy back into their lives. But what could a small boy do? He thought and thought.
One day when the winds were whispering their secrets, and the air had a magical feeling, an idea suddenly popped into his head. " I know!" he said, filling with excitement that bubbled inside him. " I'll find a way to capture the ocean. And I'll place it in the backyard that used to hold the old pond." How does one capture an--ocean? And furthermore, hold it in an area the size of a pond?
Ask no questions of life, and life will ask no questions of you: The' how's' do not matter. What does matter, is that the boy managed to accomplish this unbelievable feat. The mighty ocean, whose waves could rise tall as a building when a storm brewed over its waters, and capsize huge ships as if they were mere toys; this majestic entity of nature was now content to be contained in an old pond site!
The boy's eyes sparkled like a fire-works display on the 4th of July, and goose bumps chased each other up and down his spine as he gazed at the task he had accomplished. Now, thought the boy, the man would never again feel unhappy or lonely--How could he, when he had the waves to splash and play in? And, oh, how could he not feel the sense of peace in his soul with sunrises and sunsets displayed every day upon these waters?
The surprise ready, the little boy inspired the man to break away from his work, and take a stroll out to the backyard. The man rose from his desk chair trying to massage the pain from the small of his back, then decided to get a breath of fresh air. When he opened the back door and glanced up, his eyes beheld the ocean. He pinched himself, rubbed his eyes. I must have been working too hard, he thought. Perhaps I've fallen asleep, and this is a dream.
Yet he heard the sound of ocean waves and smelled the salt water. How? When? He questioned on and on, while the small boy inside him smiled saying nothing at all: The way little boys do, when they have no answers. The man loved this gift, and played in the ocean daily. He basked under the sun, and gazed happily at the colors of sunsets reflecting off the waters. The boy could sense the man's delight as the waves threw themselves up into the air, mingling with the winds then came down upon the man's skin as mist, thoroughly cooling and refreshing them. Life could not be better, thought the man and boy!
As time passed, and human nature ran its course; growing bored or tired with those things once desired most, the man came less and less to the ocean. His days became too busy with things that just had to be done. Days, then weeks went by. The boy missed the ocean, and could not understand why the man had lost interest. He would coax the man with small sighs of longing, but the man simply pushed these feelings aside and went on with his business. The ocean missed them, and flashed a few storms in hopes of regaining the man's attention, and the waves now splashed and played with another, having no one else to play with.
One day, the small boy noticed that the ocean had become restless and tired of being held captive, seemingly now, for no purpose. His brow knitted into a frown of worry as he watched the once peaceful waters grow turbulent, tossing with discontent. The ocean felt the boy's confusion, and knew that he thought capturing the ocean had been a mistake. To ease the boy's concerns and remove the boy's self doubts, the ocean spoke to the boy. "Small boy", the ocean called to him. Please do not be sad and confused. I am fully aware of your desires and wishes for my being here. You did this because you love the man." Lightening began to flash across the skies, and the winds that once whispered, shrieked and howled to such a pitch that the boy had to listen with his heart to hear the ocean speak. "Small one," continued the ocean, "Love is a power that has no limits. Love can accomplish anything. It was this force that allowed you and helped you to accomplish your desire to please the man. And know that it is the same power that will release me from the boundaries of this place, then I will again seek the shores of another lonely heart: This is my purpose in life."
"Oh, mighty ocean, take me with you!" the boy implored. " The man has no need for me anymore." He cried. The benevolent ocean knew this was not true, and he spoke again. "Small boy, you have the knowledge of all that is good and joyful in this world. You are the true spirit of life that dwells within the man. I can not separate you, if I did, the man would surely die." " Die?" the boy questioned, " Why would he die?"
The ocean rose out of the ground and hung suspended between earth and sky, looked back on the boy, and spoke one last time. " When the spirit of a man becomes damaged or is destroyed, the man merely exists, but does not truly live. Now go! Be with him, and he will call to you again."
As if by magic, the ocean was whirled away into the heavens and disappeared. Leaving a mist of memories in the heart of the boy and a familiar warm glow in the mind of the man.