It was a cool morning in spring. The early blossoms of newly developing buds were slowly forming. The dew gradually melted as the young man walked up the mountain. The path was the path that many took. On this day, he sought to find a peace of mind. A peace of mind only found by being alone.
The hill he was walking on was known for many reasons. Many areas of the mountain served many reasons. There was the cave that was decorated with beautiful flowers of all colors. This was where the lovers would go and spend quality time. There was the area on the very top that the villagers knew the pastors would go to. Once a month, the village pastors would walk up the hill to this particular area. In this area, they would pray loudly and boldly for the prosperity of the village. Whether the prayers worked, no one knew. The older generation believed they did. The younger generation did not. The village had never changed over the lifetime he has lived there. He did not understand what prosperity the pastors were praying for.
But this walk was not to criticize or question the belief of the village. This walk was to spend time alone with the elements of nature. A walk in the morning was not the same as a walk in the evening. In the evening, the air has been saturated with the perspiration of the village laborers. The air has been saturated with the spitting and breathing of the village farmers. It seemed that in the evening, nature itself needed a moment to rest and clear itself of the day’s work. In the morning, the air has not been soiled by human activity. In the morning, nature feels new and fresh. He understood why monks from the neighboring village began their days with morning walks.
The hill was not steep and could be mounted quickly. He did not reach the summit in respect of the pastors. He walked around the summit, clearing his mind. As he was walking, he stepped on a fallen branch. The branch, even though moist from the morning dew, broke by his feet. For some reason, the cracking sound of the branch has it snapped in half got his attention. For some reason, seeing the two pieces of wood split apart aroused greater curiosity in him. He stood in awe of the broken branch. Perhaps nature was telling him something as he could not move away from the broken branch.
He bent over to see the branch in a closer view. As he bent over, a swift breeze blew past him. The breeze was sweet and had a scent of lavender and red roses. The breeze made a return and blew past him again from the opposite angle. He felt as if fingers ran across his necks as the breeze blew. He stopped mid-way crouching towards the broken branch and stood up. He was not scared. However, it seemed that the breeze carried the message about the broken branch.
He understood the message. He thanked nature and Divine Providence for the guidance of his morning walk. He found what he was looking for. He returned to his village with a clear peace of mind.
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