Enchanted

Whether or not we ever saw the trees while standing in the middle of the forest doesn't really matter anymore. We were never really interested in moral victories anyways. All we were interested in was finding that forest before the ticking time bomb playing over and over in our minds like a metronome just stopped ticking all together. We pointed the forest out on a map and we were given directions. Only, the map was just a bunch of lines and shapes and colors. Looked kind of like a child drew it for us. Unarmed and blind, we set off on this journey to find this forest.

Some people have described it as magical, beautiful, a once in a lifetime opportunity. We wanted to see it too. We wanted it so badly that our dreams soon became so convoluted of images of what we thought it might be like. There we were, standing together, inhaling deeply from the pit of our stomachs the freshest scent of lavender buds and Christmas trees. We saw the snow falling on the tips of our noses and caught snowflakes on our tongues, one by one. They tasted like cotton candy and peppermint. Off in the distance we could hear the roar of the biggest waterfall we have ever stumbled upon. But the water pooling at the bottom was warm and inviting. The mist sprayed through our hair leaving dew drops that made us young again. The animals played together in perfect harmony. There were charming little cottages where batches of warm chocolate chip cookies constantly came out of the oven. Soft and chewy on the inside, but crunchy on the outside. They were perfect. This forest was perfect. It seemed like everything had a place. It was everything we had ever imagined, and more.

We started our journey to find the allure of this forest. Laughing, and smiling, and being silly together, we speculated on the beauty that we would soon know. We were sharing this journey together, and it was special. Though, as we followed our road map, we became frustrated. We should be here by now, we thought. Where are the trees? The water? The cottages with the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies? We grew angry with each other, each blaming the other for getting us both lost. When we arrived to the place where the X had been marked on our map, we saw nothing but a plain, flat field that stretched on for miles and miles. There wasn't a tree in sight.

We yelled at each other for this place not being what we had so hoped for. We expected so much more than this. A shiny glimmer caught our eyes and we walked over to see what it was. A tiny river ran through this flat land and a child sat on the bank. We recognized this child. It was the same one who drew our directions to get here. He looked at us, wide-eyed and innocent, and spoke words we would never forget. "Isn't this the most gorgeous land you have ever seen?" Our jaws dropped and we stared at him speechless as he walked away picking up sticks and splashing in the water on his way.

In that moment, it dawned on us. This land is beautiful. Not because of the trees and the water and the fresh chocolate chip cookies. It's beautiful because it's simple. And it's beautifully simple because we could be with each other, really be with each other without all of life's little extras. We realized it wasn't the forest that we wanted, but rather our journey to this "forest" was what we needed all along. The mini metronomes inside of our heads stopped ticking. And when they did, we felt more alive than ever. It was the trip, not the destination that we fell in love with. It was just us- Raw, pure, alive. I guess it really is true that the best things in life aren't things. And that was the real enchantment of it all.