Across the Street and Around the World

Give a man an inch and he'll ...

“Okay kids, let’s pack it up and get ready. This trip should take us three, maybe four days to get there.”

“Ah, Daaaad. Do we have to go? Why can’t we just stay here and play?”

As was usually the case, The Look came from the Mother. The kids knew better than to rebel against The Look. Mothers around the world had their own look unique to her own offspring, but the meaning was clear universally.

They wouldn’t have much to pack, but they had to shift their thinking mentally to go on this trip. It was the longest they would be away from home but also perhaps the most scenic journey they had ever undertaken.

The Father led the way but his pace was slow and deliberate. He checked back often to make sure his crew was keeping up. Even a few hours into the trip, all seven of his offspring were lagging behind.

“Break time, over by the shade of that bush right beside you.”

“Can we just stop for the night, Dad? I mean, are we almost there?”

Dad thought about it and nodded.

“Sure, almost there.”

“If they only knew,” he thought.

“Listen up everyone. I know you’re getting discouraged at your progress. Hang in there. The view when we get to our destination is second to none. In fact, picture this: water as wide as an ocean in front of us, and a forest as thick as any other behind us. Plenty of dirty for you kids to play around in. I don’t recommend going into the water because you don’t know how to swim yet, but at night when the sun’s going down, the views on the water will simply be fantastic.”

“I’ve got a question, Dad,” the smallest said.

“Sure. What is it?”

“You’re going to see it all faster because your strides are longer.”

“True, but you have to enjoy the journey no matter how big or how small you are.”

“Dear,” the Mother said. “Don’t you think you’re being a little rough on them. They are still pretty small.”

“Perhaps, but we still need to get across this road before settling in for the night. Then the next day on to the big oak over there, and then over that small mound is the lake.”

“You mean the ocean as far as the eye can see?” the Mother asked.

“The same one. When you’re an inchworm and live at water height, the lake is all you can see on the horizon.”