The Step

I'm in a desert. The sky is blank, staring down at me with its piercing blue eyes. It offers no help, no solice from the blazing heat that consumes me. I walk through the sand. It's heat surrounds my toes as I wiggle them to gain grip on the steep dunes. I wonder when this will end. When will I find the oasis that brings with it the juices of life? When will I find the oasis that brings with it reinvigoration of the soul?

I am now on my hands and knees. I crawl towards the top of the dune. Every breath becomes a struggle. My anger rises. My temper flares. My patience expires. As the sun rises to its peak, it stares down and judges. In a fit of madness, I throw sand in its direction and curse it. Why does it punish me? Why does it judge me?

I make it to the top of the dune. I stand. Slowly. Purposefully. Defiantly. A cool breeze dances around my ankles. And as I survey the view, I realise that I am no longer in a desert. I am in a sandbox. I calmly step out, and smile at the feeling of wet grass on the bottom of my feet. So I remove my other foot from the sandbox. I take a few more steps, and with each step my anger fades. My temper subsides. My patience restores itself. I am not in an oasis. I am somewhere far more permanent.

But then I wonder, "Why did I wait so long to realise it was merely a sandbox? Why didn't I step out earlier, rather than prolong my own suffering and torment?"

It was only a step... And in this new place, I look at the sun once more, but this time I thank it for the lovely tan.