The song started softly, softly. It was at the edges of my awareness, like little sparkles of light just out of sight.
And then … my heart answered the song.
The harmony was beautiful; just faint at first, but as time went on, it became more insistent and harder to ignore.
I got restless. My daily life suddenly seemed shallow, missing something crucial. It became harder to live with that void.
Then one day, I just got up and followed the song where it led.
I found myself standing on the edge of a beach, looking at the sun on the horizon.
The song was coming from the sun! I could hear it, loud and clear, and now I could also see the light codes emanating straight from the sun to my heart.
But I was in bare feet, and there was broken glass on the beach. I had this deep desire to follow the song, but how was I to get to the edge of the water safely?
There were people further down the beach, but they were too far away to call.
Suddenly, two young gentlemen showed up, carrying a chair. They told me to get on, and they would carry me to the water’s edge. They wore shoes!
We all laughed as they carried me in my chair to the edge of the water.
The water was playing at my feet, and the sun’s song was stronger than ever. How would I get to the sun? There were surfers playing on the breaking waves, but the thing about surfing is that if it doesn’t take you back to the shore, you’re doing it wrong. There were people with kayaks, but they were too flimsy to embark on this journey; especially seeing that I had no idea how long the journey might be.
I scanned the beach and saw something out of the corner of my eye. I shifted my gaze and saw an isthmus of beautiful white sand. I could have sworn it wasn’t there last time I looked! It was in the direction I needed to go, so I made my way there, and walked along the isthmus to the land at the end of it.
I was surprised to be welcomed warmly by a group of people who were living in the most beautiful, luxurious dwelling. I was invited to join the community in celebration, dancing, singing, telling stories, sharing beautiful food, swimming and going sailing and just living in deep appreciation of all the beauty of the surroundings. I decided joining would be wonderful, but the song in my heart drew me on.
I stood at the edge of the beach again, feeling my deep connection to the sun on the horizon, wondering how I would bridge the gap. One of the elder women came to stand next to me.
I asked “Are there sharks in the water?”
She replied “Yes, but for the most part they are friendly sharks.”
“Friendly sharks?” I asked, skeptically.
She said “You can make friends with any creature, as long as you know how.”
She watched me yearning for connection with the sun.
She said “You know, a boat would never reach it, because no matter how far you go, the sun will always be just over the horizon. If you set out by boat, you will have some mighty adventures, but you will become an eternal seeker. I understand that that can be attractive, but I don’t think you are a seeker. You want to find.”
“How do I find?”
“You know that everything you are yearning for is already within you.”
“That is a very cryptic answer.”
“It is also the only answer.”
She left me to it. I continued to feel my heart resonate and harmonize with the heart of the sun.
Suddenly my awareness split.
I found myself cradled by the sun in the most loving embrace, wholly enveloped by the sun’s song and nurture, able to see the whole world and universe, as well as myself standing on the beach gazing at the sun.
Simultaneously I was standing on the beach, looking at myself communing with the sun.
I had come home.
“You are not a drop in the ocean, but the ocean in a drop.” Rumi
Maruta’s story. Image by Pexels