I wander Shangri-la, listening to the chatter of others who are quite happy to be where they are. Each of these fine, young citizens has a cheerful countenance, smiling, laughing, enjoying each other’s company. I respond mechanically to their calls of friendship, but do not allow their invitations to join them in their merriment to deter me from my objective. I have spied Dan walking a path in the distance, and I quicken my pace to overtake him. “Dan, wait for me,” I call out as I draw nearer. He turns at the sound of my voice, stops and waits expectantly for my arrival. “Hi, how are you today?” His question is innocent enough, but the piercing look he gives me belies his concern.
“I, my friend, am fine!” I reply to him as I draw nearer. Reaching his side, I clasp his hand in a warm grip and draw him closer to me. Dan has been one of my best companions for centuries. His perspective on Shangri-la life is one that I treasure and listen to with an acute ear. He turns with me, and we both fall into a slow pace, ambling across the beautiful countryside. The comfortable silence is broken only by the quiet chirping of nesting baby birds in the tree branches overhead.
“I noticed you walking near the edge of the forest earlier, that can be alluring.” I did not know how to answer his words, so I said nothing. After a pause, he continued quietly “if you are going to go, you should decide to do so with enough time for you to find her.”
“I know, but I am stuck.”
“It is definitely a choice that is made with difficulty,” he murmured.
“I realize that,” I replied, “but I’m still stuck.”
“So, get unstuck.”
I looked at him as he looked at me, and we both smiled.
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