It's All Part of the Service
By Judith Cullen
© 2018
for Warren Crain
The sound of the water was deafening, and soothing at the
same time. It surrounded and embraced,
in a dreamscape as alive with color as it was with motion.
"It looks a little intimidating," came a voice
near my waist, "But really, if you look closely its mostly just birds, bees,
and butterflies."
He sat down, his deep brown fur blending naturally with rock
and moss - he belonged here. He scratched
the ground at my feet and brought his clawed paw up to his muzzle to sniff. "You're new here. Have you tried the zip lines, yet?"
I said I hadn't as politely as possible, because it's not
everyday that a large brown bear walks right up and speaks to a stranger. But
this was the Fairelands, where almost anything can happen.
"Yeah, they look intimidating too, but they're really a
piece of cake. Come on!"
He ambled over to the stanchion marked "Zip Line
Down" and cleared his throat to explain, "Now just take it one step
at time. First you set your feet apart
nice and solid, so you're balanced. You
see how I am doing it?"
Indeed, he had risen up on his hind legs, which were
appropriately spaced for good balance. I nodded.
"Okay now, you grab hold of the bar overhand, like
this, see?" Once more he
deliberately demonstrated what he meant, and I nodded that I understood.
"Now, don't you worry about holding on tight," he
laughed, "because once yer flyin' that will definitely take care of
itself!" He laughed some more, and I could not help but join him.
Peeking over the precipice I saw that it was a long, long,
long way down, and there were plenty of rocks and sharp-ish looking things to
intercept you on the way.
"Oh, you don't want to do that. Don't look down! Even when your feet are firmly on the ground,
there's always a great big hole of some sort, somewhere around. Some are just
hidden better than others. Best not to
think about them. Best to just get on
with the business of doing and being.
You got me?"
He gestured with his paw to his eyes, "Keep 'em on
target. Ignore all the rest. Keep your
eyes on me, and I won't letcha down.
Okay?"
I'll admit, he made it look simple, even for a bear,
standing there on the edge, ready to fly across the chasm like it was nothing.
"Now, all you do is lift your feet and let gravity
carry you. No looking around, just enjoy
the ride, eyes on your destination."
Several vibrantly colored creatures winged about, audience
to the bear as he instructed me.
"And when you get to the end, you just let go. That's real
important. Wait for the right moment,
and then let go. Otherwise things get messy and complicated." He added, "I hate messy and
complicated. Better things to do with my
time."
With that he lifted his feet and went zipping along the
suspended line, his fur rippling in the wind and his voice lifted in a
loud, joyous, life-affirming cry.
He landed, lumbered onto his four paws and turned to shout
at me. "Your turn now! Grab on, eyes on the target, and remember to
let go."
Butterfly and bird hovered, watching me expectantly. He made it easy. But he was an enchanted bear in an enchanted
land, so of course it was easy for him.
What about me? I didn't seem
quite so lucky, and I was definitely not enchanted.
"No, no I see what's going on there. You stop that.
You're over-thinking it. Get your butt over to that line and grab
on."
It was the only path to the rest of the land, and he had made it look possible. His presence had been reassuring, and it
still reached a paw to me across the void, beckoning me to join him. I stepped to the stanchion and, looking up,
took a deep breath and grabbed onto the bar.
"That's the way," he called, gesturing at his eyes
again, "Now look at me, make me your target." He stepped to the corresponding stanchion at
the end of the line. "You know what
to do. You just need to do it."
I locked my eyes on his, lifted my feet, and I flew. The air
embraced me as I raced along the zipline, and I felt some of the enchantment of
the place embed itself into my cells, all the while staying focused on the
bear, whose eyes twinkled with amusement and joy. If it hadn't been necessary to hang on I
would have spread my arms out and thrown my head back, and let the essence of
The Falls of Hope infuse my entire body, and take up permanent residence in my
soul.
I don't know what sound I made, but something came flooding
out of me like a howl and a scream all wrapped together with hysterical
laughter. It felt like relief.
When I landed, I let go and stumbled. The bear had been standing again, waiting for
me and he wrapped his big furry arms around me and held me upright. I was laughing and weeping all at one. I
eagerly put my arms around him, happy to accept his support and return it.
"Good job!" he said. "That was exactly the way to do it. And you remembered to let go!"
I hugged him tight, and he hugged me back.
"That's the whole secret," he murmured in my ear.
"The world is full of dangers and things that scare you. They might be your destiny, and they might
not. You can't worry about that. You just grab on, and stay
focused..."
"... and when the time is right, remember to let
go," I said, finishing his sentence.
"Yeah," he said, "That'll do it."
I gave him another squeeze, and thanked him.
"No problem.
It's all part of the service, ma'am."
benefiting Relay for Life
All images by Aoife Lorefield
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