Was walking in my dreams again. Didn't exactly know where. Saw these stones along the way. Each looked different from one another. Some were of bright colors, others were just dull and blunt; some were smooth on the surface, others were rough and crooked on the edges; some looked big and hard, others appeared too little and less appealing. I picked up one of each kind of these stones. and headed towards home. Put them all in one clean and clear bottle and sealed it. Each day as I woke up, never did I forget to look at those stones with awe (for they seem to look good together in one bottle, their differences make them spectacular to look at), concern, and yes love (couldn't help myself but to fall in love with them). Didn't know why I felt that way towards these stones...maybe because they were all I had at that moment.
Then I had a glimpse of my tired face in the mirror... a tear drop was peeping through my left eye. I tried to look away and I turned to my bottle with stones in it. Oh! that bright colored stone shine like one big star in a dark moonless night. As if it was telling me to cheer up. It seemed to be shouting for all my ears to hear that everything will be alright again and that I shouldn't lose hope. It was then I decided to keep this stone for real. Put it out from the bottle and carefully hid it in my treasures' chest. The next day, I was in the verge of plunging into a quick slap shot decision in my life when I took notice of that dull and blunt looking stone in the bottle. It was so timid. So quiet. So serene. Its silence was overwhelming. It was giving me ENOUGH time to think things over and over so I wouldn't make any wrong decisions this time. That's when I felt that I should have it in my treasures' chest.
Two stones were still left inside my bottle. That big, hard looking stone and the too little, less appealing stone. What should I do with these? In a snap, I put these two inside my treasures' chest thinking of keeping them for real, the same way as I had wanted for the first two stones.
I was in shocked one day when I opened my chest. Gone now was the magnificent scene that I used to see when they were still in that bottle. That big, hard looking stone got moss all over its body. I immediately threw it out from the chest. It landed on the floor. Stained was left on the floor as soon the stone landed. I looked at my other stones, they too got a lil something on their surface as caused by that big, hard looking stone. I took them out from the chest one by one. Cleaned them and put them out to dry under the sun. When it was time to put them back in the treasures' chest, that's when I noticed this too little, less appealing stone. Although as small as it was, it was this stone who had made a very big impact on me. This stone wanted me to stay still. To give it time for this big, hard looking stone to prove its worth to be put inside my treasures' chest again. That's when I looked down again and picked up that big, hard looking stone on the floor. Its big and hard and yet on the floor it looked so small and soft that only a step of this foot could grind him into pieces. I cleaned this stone and let it dry. I put it inside my bottle waiting for the time when it can be in my treasures' chest again.
Friends are like stones that you see and pick up along the way. But you don't expect them to become real friends instantly the moment you picked them up. Friendship grows and blooms in your heart. It resides there and continue to be there no matter what happens. You may never hear a word from me or see me for all your life but all of you would always remain my precious stones that I keep inside my treasures' chest.
