I was recently told this story and I wanted to share it with you
The Sun and the Vine
You walk through the forest lit only by the stars and the light of the moon. The trees thin and you arrived at a clearing. You see the silhouettes animals resting in a ring outside of the reach of the bonfire's light. All animals, great and small, predator and prey, were gathered here. You quietly find your place and sit among them.
A man approaches the fire. Broad shouldered and gruff square jaw. He wore the headdress of a gray wolf that shadowed his face. The Wolf Shaman tossed a handful of herbs into the fire, and he begins to tell this story:
.......
In the beginning, there was nothing but bear earth. The sun roamed the empty skies, alone and without purpose. Until one day, he noticed a little sprout growing from the barren earth.
“Little sprout” he said, “What are you doing?”
“I grow.” the sprout replied.
“But don't you see?” asked the sun. “It is futile. All things die here. What's the point?”
“I grow” the sprout repeated. “It is what I do.”
The sun was doubtful, but he did what he does, and shone his light on the earth and the sprout. Because where sprouts grow, suns shine. He did his best to shine his best light on the little plant as often as he could. Over time, the little sprout grew, up and up and up, until one day, to sun's great surprise, what was once a sprout, was now a vine who reached out and touched his face.
“My purpose,” the vine said, “is to grow. I made it my life to touch you. You gave me the light I needed, and here we are, together.”
The sun was deeply touched, and together, they started a garden that spread throughout the earth.
.............
The Wolf Shaman stops speaking and looks you in the eye.
“Man cannot stand alone.” he says to you, “Everything he does is like the light of the sun. It touches everything, no matter the intentions. Worry not, so much as what a person does with your light, simply, shine. For all. For when that sprout grows to reach out and touch you, you'll know you made a difference. So, shine. The best that you can. And live.”
