Inspirational Short Story

Inspirational Short Story, Female Fantasy Art, Relaxing Music

***Oh, this is the creature that doesn't exist . . .***

***In fact, it never was. But since they loved it,***

***a pure beast came to be.***

***-- Rainer Maria Rilke***
The unicorn, serene and white, is a strong and graceful animal with the body of a horse. A single white horn grows from its brow, making it unique among all animals. It is gentle, shy, and good, and though stories have been told about it for centuries, many people say it never existed. We call it a myth, yet in telling its story, we make it real. Friendship is like the unicorn: created from faith. Before we speak, reach out, believe in the possibility of relations with another, friendship does not exist. But when we share a meal, a joke, or a walk -- a piece of ourselves -- we open up to two friends . . . one in the other person, the other within ourselves.

One comes in the end to realize

that there is no permanent pure relationship

and there should not be.

-- Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Whether we are teenagers in love for the first time, or parents who have been married for twenty years,

relationships can turn into obsessions if we're not careful.

We can lose our sense of self and only feel complete when we're with the other person.

We can become totally attached and dependent on the primary person in our lives for all our needs.

We need to remember that we can be a good partner in a relationship only if we feel complete within ourselves. Keeping ourselves open to change in our surroundings, our loved ones, and especially ourselves helps us stay whole.

We learn, first, to be ourselves, to make independent choices.

We dare to do things on our own.

Things as simple as going for a walk by ourselves and smelling the scents of nature.

Being ourselves means bringing our own world to meet the world of our loved ones, rather than depending on them to make our world.

We decided that it was no good asking

what is the meaning of life,

because life isn't an answer, life is the question,

and you, yourself, are the answer.

-- Ursula K. LeGuin

How many times have we felt like we were drifting aimlessly, constantly searching for meaning in a world that seems so mixed up, seeking direction but getting nowhere?

But looked at differently, "nowhere" becomes "now here."

When we take things apart, stand back, and examine them from a different angle, we often find we held the answer from the beginning. Sometimes, when we're convinced we are the problem, we discover we were the solution all along.

When we look for true understanding, we can be sure it exists in this moment, and that we can find it within ourselves, with God's help.

__________

08/04/2024

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Oh, this is the creature that doesn't exist . . .

One comes in the end to realize

We decided that it was no good asking