Breath of relief - little tale almost forgotten

Ending my "little" adventure with a quite long text that comes with.

97... 97 days. That's how long it took them to grant my visa application. 07.10.26

Not gonna lie, the time I spent in the dark, not knowing when I would get being processed, was pure torture.

I met so many different people along the way, and there are a few I'd like to thank with all my heart. They probably won't even read this, but I guess it's a symbolic gesture.

People who took the time to listen. People who took the time to talk back. And most importantly, people who gave me a spot, whether that spot was a physical place or a metaphor for something much more than that.

During my days on the road, I stumbled across the little "children's" story Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I think those who know the story may have forgotten the truth and importance hidden within it. And for those who don't know it yet: you should definitely read it, because I think it probably has a much greater impact on adults than on children at this point in life - it's about making new connections, loving and caring and also the understanding of goodbyes (cycle of live).

Right at the beginning, Antoine introduces himself and explains why he wrote the story. And honestly, that's my favourite part.

He talks about his childhood and how he always dreamed of becoming an illustrator, of being creative and getting better at drawing. He started with a drawing inspired by a story that fascinated him at the time: a boa constrictor capable of swallowing an entire elephant.

He showed his drawing of the boa to his parents and relatives, but he always received the same reaction: "Why are you drawing a hat?"

So he improved his drawing and made the boa's stomach transparent, allowing everyone to see the elephant inside. When he showed it to his parents again, they simply told him to quit those doodles and focus on something relevant instead: mathematics, languages, or geography for example.

So he took their advice. He gave up what he loved and focused on the things that were considered "relevant" in life instead.

In the end he became a pilot and travelled all over the world. But deep inside, he always regretted not choosing what he had truly loved and giving himself the chance to become better at drawing.

As he travelled from country to country, from one culture to another, he met countless people. Many of them were similar in the way they thought, while a few had really caught his interest.

So he came up with a little trick to distinguish the interesting ones from the ordinary ones. He started showing the people he met that very first drawing of the boa with the elephant inside its stomach.

With those who saw just a hat, he would talk about politics and economics. But with those who saw more than just a hat, he could have deep, meaningful, and interesting conversations. So he continued he's journey of life and always could tell weather someone's interesting to him or not.

I feel that way of seeing the world resonates with me a lot and you might know by now that I like to get lost in my own head and think about things like that from time to time.

You can probably relate this story to so many things that have already happened in your own life. I know I can. It's crazy how much influence society (our parents, relatives, and the people around us) still have on what and how we should think, on what's considered right or wrong, relevant or irrelevant.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think society is necessarily to blame. They're just acting and telling us what they were taught themselves and so on. I see the real issue in each and everyone of us who choose not to think for ourselves and instead ignore the things we truly love and enjoy in life if it means following blindly a path that is already layed for us just because it's the easy and comfortable way of doing things.

And by "issue," I don't mean that it's necessarily wrong, because there are benefits to following society's expectations too. Whether doing so makes you happy or not is what really matters. At least, that's how I see it. :)

This is a little anecdote I hope I'll hold on to, because it reminds me that the older we get, the more we tend to forget how to be a child in certain ways, especially when it comes to imagination, free will, and the power they hold.

Alright... that was it I guess ;) "A breath of relief and a little tale almost forgotten" ;)

If you feel like connecting, don't shy from giving me a quick call or send me a text. I know I won't hesitate to do so when I'll get the chance to. ;)Read more