One day Molly let go of her treasured balloon and off it went, bobbing in the air. By the time she’d realised it was gone, it had already floated far, far away from her. To catch it she would have to run faster than she’d ever run before and ask for help from all the people she met.
Molly is a sweet, innocent girl and she brings the best out of everyone she encounters: a couple arguing over whether to have another child, a young woman dreaming of being a doctor, a gardener grieving the loss of his marriage and a wealthy woman living in isolation. In each case, Molly’s mere presence sparks in them a remembrance of what most matters in life.
Maybe that’s why we love children. Of course, there are strong instincts involved, but who is to say where instinct ends and soulful qualities begin? Their beauty evokes our desire to love and care for another. Their innocence reminds us of our own capacity to be deeply touched by life.
When I started learning to meditate, I was advised to look for a space of stillness inside. It took me quite a while to find it but when I did, I realised that I had known such a place before.
One of my very earliest memories is of being on holiday with my family. I was waking up from a nap in a room that was unfamiliar to me, and yet I felt intimately and deliciously at home. A sublime peace and stillness pervaded my experience, and I saw the world around me as beautiful beyond words.
Maybe Molly stands for that place in us all. As she walks through her story, she reminds everyone in it of what really matters in life. Maybe when we cultivate that level of innocence and presence in ourselves, we can remind ourselves of what really matters, too.
You can find the story here, on Palace of Stories.
All the best,
Leo.
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