You know who you are. When you read this you'll feel offended, but know that this isn't directed at you, or at anyone in particular. It's just a life lesson that I'd been choosing to ignore due to its harshness.
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Storks are migratory birds, meaning that they have fixed migration patterns at certain times every year, depending on the bird species and its life cycle. For example, the White Stork lives in warm climates. It spends its winters in the African Savannah, where the temperature is warm enough, and it travels to its European breeding grounds in the summer.
One such stork was born in the winter, in the African Savannah. All the little stork knew was Africa; it had never been anywhere else. It was in its nature to migrate, but the stork had not yet been old enough to have migrated even once. The prospect had always scared the stork, because it couldn't understand why it had to uproot itself from its home every winter and go to Europe for the summer, braving dangers and predators and exposing itself to the wrath of nature, all for no reason.
The stork's best friend was a swallow, and they enjoyed each other's company. As soon as they were both old enough to fly, they soared together in the skies of Africa, ignoring their parents' frantic cries as they tried to warn them of hawks. With the bravery of the blissfully young and ignorant, they routinely got themselves dragged into tight spots. It got to the point where they were grounded twice a week, and if you had wings, you'd understand how a cage can be the worst punishment for a bird.
The stork routinely fought with its parents, trying to make them see that they didn't have to migrate. Their whole life was in Africa; their friends, their family and their home. Its parents would argue that the whole family would be coming too, and that they would be back home in a year anyway. When the stork brought up its friends, its father sighed warily with the patience only a parent can muster, and said: "We come into this world alone, and we leave it alone. Live your life, my son, and don't plan it according to other people. They won't change theirs for you, no matter how strong your relationship is".
The stork didn't believe its parents, as kids are wont to do. Its parent stressed the fact that it was not personal, but it was the circle of life, and that the stork should not be offended because its friend is leaving, because the swallow had no more hand in it than the stork... It was simply its life cycle. "Your friendship will endure, but don't expect anyone to change their life for you" was how its father put it.
And sure enough, a few months later found the flock of swallows going their own, separate way. Like the stork's father had said, the swallow had had no say in it. It left with its family, with promises that they would meet again the following summer. But words are cheap, and no one knows what would happen in six months... For all they know, one of them would die hundreds of miles away from home, and their friendship would end painfully.
The stork was devastated. It could not face the fact that its friend would just up and leave, without a second thought. Was their friendship worth nothing? Surely he could have stayed if he'd wanted to! His parents had been right about that, it seemed... life goes on, and if you don't roll with it, you'd be the sad bird in denial, left behind alone while people got on with their lives.
In a few weeks, it was time for the storks to migrate as well. The stork didn't put up much of a fight, because there was nothing left for it in Africa; its friend had left, its family would be coming with it, and Africa would be left behind, forgotten for a year.
Except fate had other plans.
His father had a close run-in with death, in the form of a hawk that almost killed him. Even though he managed to escape, the hawk had broken his wing, making migration impossible. A bird without wings is a dead bird, and the fact was not lost on the young swallow. It's mother declared that it would stay with the father, to hunt for food and feed him in his weakened state. The stork promised it would stay behind and help, but its parents refused point-blank.
"Life goes on. We will survive for weeks, maybe even months. What then? We are but two storks in the wild, and we won't last very long. We've done our part; we've raised you and your brothers, and our lives are of little import. You still have your whole life ahead of you, and we won't let you stay behind to die. Life goes on, and so will you. Go now, and who knows? Maybe when you come back next year, we'll still be here."
With that, the stork left its home, world-wary and grim. Life had made no exceptions for its parents, and it wouldn't for the young stork.
Life goes on and no one can stop it.
It's always easy to overlook this fact, because it's a harsh fact. People pretend their relationships matter; that their friends and family would always be there for them, that life is their own little Sitcom. But at the end of the day, no one would stay behind for anyone else, just like the swallow abandoned the stork, and just like the stork abandoned its parents. Because it's not abandonment.
It's life.
_________________________________________________________________________
Storks are migratory birds, meaning that they have fixed migration patterns at certain times every year, depending on the bird species and its life cycle. For example, the White Stork lives in warm climates. It spends its winters in the African Savannah, where the temperature is warm enough, and it travels to its European breeding grounds in the summer.
One such stork was born in the winter, in the African Savannah. All the little stork knew was Africa; it had never been anywhere else. It was in its nature to migrate, but the stork had not yet been old enough to have migrated even once. The prospect had always scared the stork, because it couldn't understand why it had to uproot itself from its home every winter and go to Europe for the summer, braving dangers and predators and exposing itself to the wrath of nature, all for no reason.
The stork's best friend was a swallow, and they enjoyed each other's company. As soon as they were both old enough to fly, they soared together in the skies of Africa, ignoring their parents' frantic cries as they tried to warn them of hawks. With the bravery of the blissfully young and ignorant, they routinely got themselves dragged into tight spots. It got to the point where they were grounded twice a week, and if you had wings, you'd understand how a cage can be the worst punishment for a bird.
The stork routinely fought with its parents, trying to make them see that they didn't have to migrate. Their whole life was in Africa; their friends, their family and their home. Its parents would argue that the whole family would be coming too, and that they would be back home in a year anyway. When the stork brought up its friends, its father sighed warily with the patience only a parent can muster, and said: "We come into this world alone, and we leave it alone. Live your life, my son, and don't plan it according to other people. They won't change theirs for you, no matter how strong your relationship is".
The stork didn't believe its parents, as kids are wont to do. Its parent stressed the fact that it was not personal, but it was the circle of life, and that the stork should not be offended because its friend is leaving, because the swallow had no more hand in it than the stork... It was simply its life cycle. "Your friendship will endure, but don't expect anyone to change their life for you" was how its father put it.
And sure enough, a few months later found the flock of swallows going their own, separate way. Like the stork's father had said, the swallow had had no say in it. It left with its family, with promises that they would meet again the following summer. But words are cheap, and no one knows what would happen in six months... For all they know, one of them would die hundreds of miles away from home, and their friendship would end painfully.
The stork was devastated. It could not face the fact that its friend would just up and leave, without a second thought. Was their friendship worth nothing? Surely he could have stayed if he'd wanted to! His parents had been right about that, it seemed... life goes on, and if you don't roll with it, you'd be the sad bird in denial, left behind alone while people got on with their lives.
In a few weeks, it was time for the storks to migrate as well. The stork didn't put up much of a fight, because there was nothing left for it in Africa; its friend had left, its family would be coming with it, and Africa would be left behind, forgotten for a year.
Except fate had other plans.
His father had a close run-in with death, in the form of a hawk that almost killed him. Even though he managed to escape, the hawk had broken his wing, making migration impossible. A bird without wings is a dead bird, and the fact was not lost on the young swallow. It's mother declared that it would stay with the father, to hunt for food and feed him in his weakened state. The stork promised it would stay behind and help, but its parents refused point-blank.
"Life goes on. We will survive for weeks, maybe even months. What then? We are but two storks in the wild, and we won't last very long. We've done our part; we've raised you and your brothers, and our lives are of little import. You still have your whole life ahead of you, and we won't let you stay behind to die. Life goes on, and so will you. Go now, and who knows? Maybe when you come back next year, we'll still be here."
With that, the stork left its home, world-wary and grim. Life had made no exceptions for its parents, and it wouldn't for the young stork.
Life goes on and no one can stop it.
It's always easy to overlook this fact, because it's a harsh fact. People pretend their relationships matter; that their friends and family would always be there for them, that life is their own little Sitcom. But at the end of the day, no one would stay behind for anyone else, just like the swallow abandoned the stork, and just like the stork abandoned its parents. Because it's not abandonment.
It's life.
