Sydney, October 29, 2013
It’s Sunday morning. And just like any other Sunday morning for the last 10 years, he is having his “breakfast by the balcony”. Set on the second floor, amongst nature, with a magnificent view of the moody river, time and space often seem irrelevant…. And as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons fill the air with its magical touch, one would think how beautiful life could be in such a perfect setting.
“The white stork is still alone.”
Having shared a breakfast by the balcony with him once, I could almost picture his lonely shadow reading the message. We used to spot a single white stork on the other side of the river….
“Maybe it’s time for the white stork to stop fighting and start embracing the world around.” Silence remains for the rest of the day. The response is not responded.
He thinks his life is a wreck. His wife’s left him for a delivery guy. His kids keep forgetting his birthday. The girls that he’s dated over the years all lie to him. And even though people pay him a lot of money to be their lawyer, he’s got absolutely no joy out of work. The government to him is corrupted. The people are consumed by greed. All of which, in one way or another, constantly feed his anger. The more he gets angry, the less people would want to be any where near him, and understandably the lonelier he becomes. He declares enemy of the whole wild world. Nothing, and no one on earth could ever bring him the happiness he deserves….
“You know what? If happiness is seeked from the outside world, it’s my absolute guarantee that you would never find it. Try seeking it from within…..”
Silence fills the conversation as I patiently await his reaction. I could hear nothing but the vague background noises on the other side of the line. Could one of those be the sound of the white stork flapping away in search for his flock?