When I was a young girl of about six years old living in Texas, I once ran away to the fields behind my house. I packed a suitcase with a change of underwear, some Kraft caramels, and a nightgown. I didn’t get far. I sat beside my suitcase in the midst of tall weeds, and I thought about my life. You maybe wondering, What six-year-old feels the need to run away in order to think about her life? Or, you may be thinking, I was just like that as a child!
All I can tell you is that I felt the need for space and time and reflection. I wanted no company other than dragonflies and horny toads. But I got company, in the form of a young boy who seemingly came out of nowhere. I don’t believe he spoke English—as much as I recall clearly about that day, I don’t remember a single word passing between us But he had in his hands a castle made out of beautiful rocks, and he presented this castle to me as an impromptu gift. I took it, and I kept it for many many years, and I wish I still had it now. I have never forgotten that day: the green field, the hot sun, the dress I was wearing. And I’ve never forgotten that boy, medium height, dark hair, brown eyes, no words. He left soon after he gave me that castle, and I never saw him again. For my part, I went back home with my little suitcase, the castle now added to the contents, and my mother watched me pass by her and go up to my room without comment.
The other day, three questions occurred to me, and I felt compelled to write them down. They were:
What do you want most in your life now?
How/where is the best way/place to achieve it?
What are you doing to move you in the direction of achieving it?
These were tough questions for me. They were tougher than geometry, and geometry was very, very hard for me. In fact, when I was given the final test for geometry in tenth grade, I turned the test over and drew designs for evening gowns on the blank back of the page. They were not very good designs, but I had to use the time for something. If you think I was required to have a little conference with the teacher after that day, you would be exactly right. But let’s get back to what I really want to talk about here.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to I've Been Thinking... to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.