The sun was low in the southern sky bringing extra warmth at the end of November.  Its rays busy creating a scene of gold on the soft ground.  The final leaves of the year clung to the trees to boast their shades of fall in the final light.

Numerous beautiful fields stretched out towards the surrounding trees holding the day’s golden glow to finish the harvest.  Soon the land and trees would be without while they await next year’s life quietly growing in the ground below. 

There on the fields we play, work and live.  In our youth we run to the limits of our legs’ strength while parents work diligently to put up a fence.  We gaze over the fence to the horizon beyond and stare at it with wonder.  But as the sun wanes, our heart and mind fills with fear of what lies beyond our posts.  As we grow up, we maintain the borders – pruning away life which grows from the outside in order to protect what has become familiar.

We find a routine and focus on its many tasks to prepare for the harvest.  Meanwhile the beautiful horizons disappear behind the growing trees and vines of the wild beyond our field.  Before long the land beyond our own is forgotten and our world becomes a small place.

The habits of convenience allow us to enjoy the simple repetitive scene around us. A world that meets our expectations of what it should be has been born.  Each new member finds its cog in the giant wheel…lacking a curiosity of what could be.

One day, a different seed arises from the dust. He grows up with insatiable curiosity to see what lies above those tall trees.  As his curiosity grows he finds he can no longer be satisfied in this world.  Overwhelmed by his feelings he flees to the boundary.  There he hears new noises coming beyond the trees. With great zeal he climbs the fence and jumps down into the new world.

With greater courage than fear, he walks into the shadows of the majestic trees.  His senses operate at a rapid rate helping him adapt into this foreign world.  Beyond the rows of trees, he spots rays of light invading the forest.  Filled with a spirit of adventure he runs towards them.

At the edge of the forest a great scene is revealed…the sky and ground meet in the far distance in every direction.   All around him he sees boys and girls of blissful youth chasing the sun’s rays jumping from forest to forest and field to field.  His heart is filled with excitement as a new world awaits before him!

The rest of his days are filled with exploration of the many lands that were once unknown. In all of his adventure he realizes the world is much too big to be seen in a lifetime, but there is always time to find another field that lies just beyond the trees.