tales for dreamers: more stairs to explore

Everyone’s always going on and on about stairways, aren’t they? Stairs that lead up to heaven. Stairways that plunge right down into the depths of hell.

What is it that makes stairways so interesting? 

Aah! Now I see.

It’s not the stairway itself, but the place it could potentially lead to. 

That destination, which appears as a mere glimmer of light from here, where you stand now, on your tiptoes, craning your neck to catch a glimpse of whatever it is you hope will come into full, unobstructed view, once you’ve put in the arduous effort of climbing each and every step all the way to the top.

What if I told you that what lies at the top is not very different than what lies behind you right now, as you stand at the very bottom of this not-too-long, not-too-steep staircase, holding your heart in your hand, hoping for your mundane, boring life to change instantaneously, miraculously, once you set foot at the top?

You won’t believe me, I know.

Surely there must be something different there, you believe. Something more thrilling and exciting, something that will serve as a reward for all your patience and all your effort. 

It is unbearable for you to assume otherwise.

And this is why I will not disabuse you of your fanciful illusions. 

For I can see, you are eager to climb up the stairs, even if you’re only drawn by hope, laced with a gutsy feeling that something spectacular awaits you at the top. 

Because even if your illusion turns out to be exactly that, at least it kept you moving. 

And that is laudable, especially in this world where too many things can easily make you halt in your tracks.

Last week's image info: The little ones in 'don't feed the hungry goslings' sauntered in Paletta Lakefront at the beginning of summer. They're all gone now, all grown up and indistinguishable from the other adult members of their flock.