The Story of Life

A girl, an owl and an eagle walk together across a meadow full of yellow dandelions. She looks around for a moment …

The atmosphere of nature seems like it is waking up from a long, long sleep, thinks the girl.

Green grasshoppers hop through the meadow and the beautiful cricket song plays nearby.

Somewhere above them, the birds happily chirp on the dark chocolate-brown branches of trees and the girl feels the warmth of the shining sun.

The trees around her whisper and dance in the rhythm of the wind. Her dark hair flows in the gentle breeze.

 There is a scent of flowers spread all around, and the girl can’t resist the urge to pluck the dandelion and bring it to her nose. She feels strange…, not in a bad way, but in a good way.

After the hard months of learning that felt fast and slow at the same time, she feels that again. She runs her hands over the soft, green grass and her starry eyes look as if her memories are replaying in her mind.

She opens her arms widely and starts to speak: “What makes you feel free?”

The eagle slowly says, as if he is experiencing it all right now: “Flying through big, white clouds and also hovering over the water.”

The owl slightly remarks: “Being yourself and saying no without any guilt.”

Is my answer closer to the owl’s or to the eagle’s, she wonders. The owl lets her clear her mind for a second and then calmly asks: “And what about you?”

The girl sits down on the grass, thinks about it, and then she responds: “Maybe just being on the meadow and watching how the clouds are moving in the sky.” The eagle eagerly nods and says: “Yes, that sounds like a beautiful freedom too.”

After the eagle’s comment she continues: “What was your biggest illusion?” The eagle quickly replies: “Staying strong no matter what. Sometimes the ones who look calm are the ones who are suffering, just because they kept being strong. Being weak is okay, but staying weak is not.”

The owl softly remarks: “Figuring everything out. Not everyone has everything figured out in life. It is great to discover new things and let the mystery of our path be. No one knows everything.”

The girl lies on the meadow and curiously asks: “So then… how would you describe life?”

The owl looks at the bug on the grass and patiently answers: “Life is an extraordinary complex filled with lessons and experience. It is the one that tests you… until you don't repeat that mistake again. It is like a wheel that keeps turning and turning, and stops when you have finally learned the lesson.“

... It is like a wheel that keeps turning and turning, and stops when you have finally learned the lesson.

The eagle digs its talons into the ground as he speaks: “Life is a place where you learn and go through some challenges and hardships. But it is worth doing those things, so enjoy it while you keep doing them.”

The girl touches the green grass with both hands and asks: “… Why should we not repeat our mistakes then?”

The eagle responds with a deep breath of fresh air: “If you see… the bad things keep happening, and one of the reasons is that the lesson is not learned yet.”

The owl agrees: “Yes… and life is also too short for repeating the same mistakes, because we will always make new ones. It is inevitable.”

She stares at the blue sky for a while and watches the birds bring some food to their nestlings. The eagle and the owl curiously try to look after at what she looks and later she asks: “That leads me to think… what is hardest thing to do in your opinion?”

The owl keeps silent, and the eagle reacts: “The hardest thing to do… for me?… To accept that I will be misunderstood by some. There was a wise man who said: ‘Understanding is deeper than knowledge. There are many people who know you, but very few who understand you.’ Over-explaining does not mean that they will understand you.” 

Understanding is deeper than knowledge. There are many people who know you, but very few who understand you.

After that, the owl quietly mentions: “To live… Because as the eagle has said, life is challenging. All of us have own struggles. Someone may lose someone, another may be disappointed by a friend who broke…”

When the owl mentions “broke”, a small branchlet on the ground cracks under the eagle’s claws. The owl pretends to glare at the eagle with a dark look.

The eagle then apologizes: “My bad, my friend. Sometimes when I get too fascinated by an interesting talk, I hold something too tightly. It's my bad habit. So sorry again.”

 The girl giggles unexpectedly. It is really funny how both of them have suddenly changed their roles, she thinks. Then the owl bursts out in laughing as if she has read the girl’s thoughts: “I thought that normally when people are fascinated in topic, they are calm.”

The eagle reacts: “No! I meant excited, but I am not a human either.”

 “Hmm… that makes more sense,” agrees the owl, and the eagle joins them by chuckling. The happy laughter spreads across the meadow.

Then the eagle asks: “Where were we?” and the girl responds, still with a giggle: “I have no idea!”. Both of them stare at the owl, hoping she will remember.

The owl comments: “I was saying something about breaking trust… aaah I know… Someone may lose someone, another may be disappointed by a friend who broke, or someone may simply try to survive every day after hard experience.”

Suddenly a lot of birds fly to the sky and three friends watch them for a second.

The eagle suspiciously turns his head around to check if dangerous thing will happen.

The girl is nervous about it and the owl tries to keep her calm.

After that they hear a strange sound… they identify a rustling close to them.

The owl hugs the girl with her wing and the eagle opens both wings to protect them, whatever is hiding in the bush.

It keeps rustling… until a little brown ball covered in spines appears. It is a hedgehog and it seems terrified.

Later they spot something caught in its small leg. Just then it yells: “Oww!!! Let this go of me!! Help me, please!” The girl wants to help him, but the eagle is faster, and breaks the trap with his beak to free the hedgehog.

He becomes a little bit calmer and says quietly to the eagle: “Thank you very much.” Then he joins them in the walk as if nothing had happened at all…

The hedgehog, after a while, wonders out loud: “Are we all the same or different?” 

The eagle says: “Hmm… if you follow the norms of society then… yeah we are the same. However, if you have the courage to live by your own rules then… yes, you are different.”

The girl stares at a flower and the owl then responds: “I think that everyone is different after being born, but the crowd impacts you a lot and then you live by their norms. So after that you unfortunately become a copy of someone else instead accepting your own identity. However, for some of us would still rather be someone else than be truly who we are.”

The girl unexpectedly adds: “I believe that we all are different, but still behave the same. If we did not behave the same, probably the past would not repeat again…”

The hedgehog nods, seeming absently thoughtful.

The girl curiously questions them: “When I mentioned beliefs… what is your belief then?” … The eagle says: “I believe in freedom!”

The owl mentions: “However dark the situation is, there will always be a spark of light. I believe in hope and wisdom.”

“Mine is loyalty and kindness in this world. They still exist, just in small actions that are invisible. What about you?” responds the hedgehog, still absently in thoughts.

The girl whispers: “I believe in… the beauty of this world. Like you said, kindness and loyalty exist  — but so do the empathy, amazing people and the beautiful nature that I can't live without.”

Then they keep walking to the road and the sound of the girl’s footsteps stops. The three animals stop too, and the girl watches something in the sky again. One of the two birds she saw on the branch is chasing the second bird.

They stand in a silence that isn’t dead, but alive with unspoken thoughts. I would admire this nature in every dimension, thinks the eagle. I really appreciate the deep talk with my friends, thinks the owl. Amazing to be there and enjoying this happy moment, thinks the girl. The hedgehog considers, I am so lucky to have friends where I can finally be… myself.

After a while, who knows how long, they continue on the path. “What is your biggest goal?” asks the girl.

The owl answers: “Making new memories and experiences from which I would learn lessons and change myself for the better. There was an owl elder who said: ‘When I was younger I wanted to change the world. But when I was getting older and older I just want to change myself.’ There were times I did not understand what he meant, but getting through some experiences I know now.”

The eagle says: “To be more brave and face difficult challenges so that I can grow stronger and more free. ”

The girl comments: “Both so beautifully said.”

In that moment the hedgehog says: “To spend more time with all of you, because time is precious and cannot turn back again.”

Three animals at the same time question the girl curiously: “And what is yours?”

The girl calmly tells them: “To understand myself better so that I could understand others. I sometimes feel that I do not understand myself at all anymore. I have lost sight of who I truly am.”

To understand myself better so that I could understand others. I sometimes feel that I do not understand myself at all anymore. I have lost sight of who I truly am.

The eagle reassures her: “That is okay. Everyone has gone through that. You know what? This is the beginning to know ourselves. The first step of this path is to admit we do not know something.”

The owl nods and pats the girl on the head as if she tries to comfort her. The girl suddenly stops and animals do the same thing, and she cries out in despair: “But I don't know! After hearing those things I said, you are still staying with me? Sometimes I just feel like crying from this feeling.”

The hedgehog hugs her and says: “You do not need to pretend to be another person. When you feel sad, cry it out. If you are angry, yell it out. That is the way to feel better. Sometimes we all have hard times. And… you are unique as you are, you are enough for us as you are. You do not have to be perfect.”

The girl thankfully hugs him too and the other two join them as well.

The eagle says: “Maybe to know ourselves better is to begin with these small steps. My grandma gave me some great advice when I felt lost. She said: ‘Start discovering and answering to these eight important things. What makes you happy? Keep doing those things. What are your core values  —  what is your number one priority? Then… how do you respond to stress? For example, whether you stay calm and limit the stress without burning out.’” The eagle falls quiet and takes a deep breath.

Right then he continues: “What about your physical health? If it is great, keep it going. If not, change your lifestyle and improve it. And since we mentioned physical health, mental health is also important. What is your personality type? You do not need to be professional about yourself, but at least you should know what gives you energy and what drains it. The sixth question is: what is your strength? When you know this you, will be more successful in life. However, it is also important to know our weaknesses so we can change ourselves for the better. And… the last thing you should figure out is what is your ideal self. It doesn’t need to be a perfect vision of future self, but what values or strengths you want to have to achieve them.”

The girl seems happier and is repeating as if she wants to memorize it: “What makes me happy? What are my core values? How do I respond to stress? What about my physical health? What is my personality type? What is my strength? What is my weakness? What is my ideal self in the future?”

Afterwards she says: “You know what I have realized today?” All three are looking at her curiously, and after a moment she continues: “That I want to be myself and not pretend to be someone else. I have realized that in the past I lost myself, because I ignored the small, whispering voice that could lead me back to who I am. … Maybe that feeling of returning to myself is close to freedom — the freedom of not being tied to anything.” They walk up the hill together and in that moment disappear from sight.

... I ignored the small, whispering voice that could lead me back to who I am. … Maybe that feeling of returning to myself is close to freedom — the freedom of not being tied to anything.