Tutored by Orion

It's amazing how a conversation that is either not directed towards you or meant for you to hear, can change a certain, saturated part of your life.

I walked barefoot at the beach two nights ago. I just wanted to practice my senses alone. I had my eyes closed for most of the time while the water skipped across my toes and I listened to the gentle wind whisper into my ear. The sand felt overworked beneath my feet, and the foamy waves smelled of illness. I was well into my practice when I heard a man's voice pierce my concentration. It startled me and caused me to fall forward onto my knees into the ocean. I got up quickly and ran behind a black boulder-looking rock to compose myself. As I hushed my breathing and desensitized my knees, my ears honed in on the conversation the man and young woman were engaged in. I leaned over against the black rock and began to eavesdrop. They were sitting on a black and gold blanket with two feet of space between them; she had his leather jacket and he had his velvet voice.


"So he is your last salvation, huh?" The man paused, shifted his weight to the right, and pointed up to the sky with his left hand.
"Amy, look at the Big Dipper. That's the North Star, and that over there is Orion."
"Orion?"
"Yes Orion and his belt. Can you see those three consecutive stars?"
"Orion's Belt, huh?"
"Those stars look like they are close to each other don't they," said the young woman in a hollow voice, "but in fact, they're actually hundreds of light years away from one another."
"We learned that in elementary school."
"Well, that's Trent and I."
Her voice trailed off for a moment and continued in a stronger tone. "The things you see aren't always real. How hard must I try in order to understand the unseen truth? How far away is the distance between Trent and I?"
The older man leaned closer to the girl,"You want to understand him because you don't understand him, right? You want to understand him because you like him. So reach out your hands so that you'll gradually get closer to him. Unlike the stars, you have a choice to move closer, and strive to see what you are meant to see."


The wind picked up and five minutes later the conversation ceased. Unfortunately, I was unable to hear the rest of the man's advice to the woman. I heard them pack up and move on. I was underneath the sand: My eyes were on Orion. I was drained, finished, cracked, and dehydrated; but a minute or two later, I began making sense of what the strangers had said. Suddenly new emotions formed by the thoughts and analogies injected by the constellation conversation. I stared at his belt for a long time before I got up to make my way home. This was a lesson I was never going to forget; however small or insignificant it is to others, I learned something.

I will never forget it. I cannot forget it because I too, have a similar situation within my own story of life. This lesson won't be tested for a long time, perhaps, but I know for certain I will need to remember this because I am positive I will have to understand the true distance between the special people in my life, and do whatever it takes to move closer when the time is right.