Islands

He lived his life as an island.

Coral reefs. Blue lagoons. White sand. Coconuts. Date palms.

The days were all warm and breezy.

The night skies were filled with ancient stars, who whispered stories in his ear while he slept.

Life was good. But life was also lonely.

So he built bridges. From his island to one nearby that seemed similar to his own. He enjoyed the visit and he traded some date palms for some pineapples.

He enjoyed the experience so much that he built other bridges to other islands similar to his own. Trades were made and stories were exchanged.

Life was good. Life was no longer lonely. Until the discovery.

He began to notice little things. When one of the other islands suffered minor damage in a storm he set out for that island and offered assistance. Sometimes his aide was needed other times he was embraced and thanked for the offer.

However when his island suffered minor damage in a storm very few of the other islands offered assistance. It was than he noticed that most of the bridges he had built were one-way bridges. They connected him to the other islands but very few of the other islands were actually connected to his.

He was not sure what to do with this most recent revelation. He sat beneath the full moon and he pondered. The sun rose again and still he sat pondering. Finally he came to the conclusion that he was not offering enough aide, or assistance. He resolved to work harder and to help more. No matter the sacrifice.

So as storms came and seasons passed he offered his help to one and all. Palm fronds here. Fruit there. Repair work here. No matter the crisis he was there to help.

However nothing changed. His help was appreciated. He received handshakes, slaps on the back and heartfelt thank you's. That was all though. When his island was in need very few offered assistance. Despite the bridges he had built he was still alone.

To be continued…