Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - You're Not Alone - A Short Story

Episode Date: November 24, 2020

"Sometimes strength comes in knowing that you are not alone" - Unknown This episode is a short story about the ups and downs we face as we aim to take control of our lives. Although it may not seem like it in the moment, individual transformation is something we all share. In its own unique way, overcoming difficulty is a bond that ties us together, as we attempt to capture the meaning in life and evolve into better versions of ourselves.

A little girl walked up to the edge of a river, took a piece of paper out of her pocket, folded it into a little boat, and pushed it out into the open water. The little boat made its way with the current, kind of unsure where it would take him or what it would ultimately mean. And for days, he felt helpless, lost. Until one day a storm pushed him to the edge of the riverbank. A man picked up the little boat. and began examining it. Is this my home?

Asked the little boat. Well, wouldn't you be the only one who knows the answer to that? The man asked. I suppose so, said the boat. It doesn't feel like home. So the man nodded, started to put the boat back in the water. Before the little boat cried out,

wait, I don't want to go back in the water. I'm scared, I'm lost, I'm alone. The man, with the reassuring smile, pushed the boat back out. into the water and said, look, I've felt how you feel. And I've been where you are. I know what it's like to not know where home is, but the only way to find it is to carry on. That water is your path and a little boat you're not alone. So the little boat kind of gathers himself, starts making his way down the river. A few more hours go by. Suddenly, you runs into some plants

that are popping out over the surface of the water. He realizes pretty quickly he's stalked. He can't move. The panic starts to set in. He's freaking out. He's thinking, now I'm never going to find home. All these terrible thoughts start going through his mind. He's screaming for help.

But then he sees a mom with her son over on the shore. The child points to the little boat, says, Mom, look, another one's stuck. We need to help it. The mom says, no, this one will break free too, just like the last one did. it some time. The little boat hears them and starts thinking, wait, someone else got out of this situation. The thought never really crossed his mind, that it was possible. So he takes a breath,

starts rocking from side to side, building momentum. A few seconds later, the plant's grip starts to lessen. He nudges his way to the front of the brush, and sure enough, slips back into the flow of the stream. The little boy points, his mom, look, the little boat got out. He nudges his way. She says he sure did baby. He just had to realize that he could. So the boat again collects himself keeps making his way down the river proud now, right? Feeling accomplished growing into a paper boat of his own making when sure enough that wind shifted direction. Suddenly he's not able to go where he wants to go starts drifting towards the muddy riverbank. How could this be happening again? He thinks. to himself, but see, that little boat, it started to learn a thing or two about life. That it wasn't all smooth sailing, that it would present its obstacles, but that contained within that little paper sea vessel was far more power than he knew.

So he unfastened the excess paper on the back and the sides of the boat and created a little sail, and at first nothing happened. He waited, knowing that this was it, this was make or break For him, he adjusted one more time. He could see the shore, feet from where he was. And then suddenly he felt himself turned. The boat started making its way back downstream. Against all odds, he had managed to get back on track. And he was so excited about this that he didn't even notice the water had cleared out

and led him to this giant opening. It took him a second to adjust, but when he did, he saw a double. boats of all shapes and sizes from paper to the largest boats he'd ever seen. So he went up to the first one he saw, a little red and white canoe drifting around. He said, I can't even believe this. You have no idea what I went through to get here. I almost landed in the wrong place. Then I got stuck in some brush. I thought it was over for me. Then to top it all off, I started drifting towards the muddy riverbank and I barely adjusted course. I'm talking second. The red and white canoe smiles and says, well, so did I.

And that's just it. That's the magic of this place. You can't even get here until you learn that the wrong stops are inevitable, but that they don't define you, that you have the strength to keep searching. Until you learn that you have the ability to get yourself unstuck. That life setbacks aren't forever and that you can find a way. until you learn that some things you can't control, but how powerful are the ones you can.

As the saying goes, you can't change the wind, but Little Boat, you can always adjust your sails. These are the things we all had to learn. Little Boat looks at him and says, but how was I supposed to know that? That I wasn't the only one. Well, that's the thing. You don't really find out until you arrived.

I guess it's just one of those funny aspects of life. Well, I'm going to tell the world, said the little boat, that no one is alone. That we all get off at the wrong stops. That we all get stuck. That we all have to adjust course. But the trick is to keep sailing downriver, no matter what, keep sailing down river. I'm going to tell everyone that they are not alone.

That's a brilliant idea, said the Redmore. canoe. Now come on, I'll show you around. You're gonna really like this place.