The Rock

There once was this boy, about 10 years old, who found a rock. Now, this was was the most beautiful rock he had ever seen. Shiny and special. It wasn't small enough to put in his pocket. It wasn't even small enough or light enough for him to carry around. But he wanted it like nothing he had ever found before. So he found a rope, tied one end around the rock and the other end around his waist.

He couldn't move very fast but he finally dragged the rock home. His family thought it was odd but didn't really say much. "It's just a passing fad", they all thought.

The next day, the boy went out to play with his friends. Because of the rock, he couldn't run or play tag with them, but he could still sit and talk. They asked him why he would do something as silly as tying himself to this rock. "But I love it", he said.

Over time, the boy began to realize that he could no longer do those things he once enjoyed. He could no longer climb the monkey bars, he could no longer slide the slides, and, worst of all, he could no longer enjoy the dizzying elation of swinging so high that he felt he was in the clouds, then jumping off to soar through the air like a bird in flight.
But he loved that rock. And he was fairly certain that rock loved him.

As time progressed, his family began to hate that rock when they saw all the things the boy was missing out on in life. They encouraged him to cut the rope. Let the rock go.
"But I can't", he said, "it needs me."
"It was fine before you found it, it will be fine if you let it go."
"But if I do, I may never find something that will stay with me and love me like this rock does."
"But it's holding you down. You're not even happy any more."

The boy slowly began to notice that his friends no longer waited on him like they did at first. That his family refused to acknowledge the rock any longer. That his life was passing him by and all the things he once enjoyed are something that he "used to do".

As he grew older, he realized how many things he missed out on in his life. How he could have soared with the eagles but was always held to the ground by that rock. He began to loath and detest that rock. The rock had never given him a good life. The rock had always made him feel guilty for even considering cutting the rope. The rock drained him emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

All he had to do, was to be strong enough physically to cut the rope. All he had to do, was to be strong enough mentally to untie the knot. All he had to do, was to be strong enough emotionally to let that rock go.

Cynthia French Gatlin