Once upon a time there was a young girl in her early twenties living in a secluded mountain village. She had always wanted to see if she was capable of riding her bike on the mountain path to the next town. The young lady had heard that the people who managed to travel there possessed a special quality and she wanted to see this firsthand.
She had tried to make the trip a few times before but never succeeded. On a beautiful spring morning, the young girl decided to try again. She was sure she was ready this time.
The young girl started pedaling and enjoyed the beautiful scenery she encountered along the way. When she came to the turn in the bend, there it was again—the biggest field of wildflowers she had ever seen. Their beauty literally stole her breath away as the flowers sparkled in the sun.
These were no ordinary flowers. They seemed to have a hypnotic effect when she stopped to smell them, making her forget everything else she cared about. Her hopes and ambitions faded with each intoxicating breath. She could never stop for just a moment and then get right back on her bike. Hours would pass and she would completely forget why she wanted to go to the other village in the first place. The young girl always resolved to ignore the flowers but their beauty overtook her every
time.
The young lady kept pedaling but she couldn’t stop looking over her shoulder every few seconds to steal a quick glance. The flowers were waving in the breeze, beckoning her to come and frolic in the sun with them once again. She tightened her grip on the handlebars and pedaled even faster. Her parents had cautioned her from the day she learned to ride a bike to look where she wanted to go, because her bike would follow. One more sideways glance at the flowers and she might end up in the
middle of them! So she focused on the journey ahead.
The young girl had heard amazing stories about the neighboring village. Rumor had it that the people there were different. They were unusually kind and had something inside them that made their faces glow. She had to see this in person and wanted to prove to herself that she could become one of them. The young lady had also heard that she would feel a new level of freedom once she arrived, if only she could manage to stay on the path.
But those danged flowers! The more she turned to look at them, the shakier her bike became. And then her mind started to taunt her like before. What would it hurt to stop and smell the flowers? You could even pick a few and take them with you. Why chase a dream that might not even come true? You don’t need anything more than this. She had fallen for these lies before but a sudden moment of clarity helped her remember what she wanted most.
The young girl looked one last time at the dancing flowers and then pedaled as fast as she could, keeping her eyes solely on the path ahead. Her resolve was greater than ever and as the flowers faded in the background, she began to feel something new rising up inside her—like she was growing from the inside out!
She started to feel lighter, brighter … and free. A deep sense of purpose filled her heart with a beauty far beyond anything the flowers had to offer. The young lady began to sing at the top of her lungs and she knew nothing could stop her now. She had become one of them and greeted her neighbors like old friends.
