English Cheerivies way

»Hello,« she said as she sat down on the branch, »May I have a rest here for a little while? «
The old owl parted the green leaves tangle that protected him from the sun. In the harsh backlight he saw almost nothing, but nodded in agreement with his head and muttered to himself:
»If it absolutly must be!«
»You are not very friendly. Did you have a nice sleep?« 
She looked at him over from his head down to his toes.»I never sleep at night, you should know it,« he said, 
»Just now I wanted to sleep, but you wouldn’t let me. «
She rolled her little eyes and then she said reassuringly. 
»Forgive me, I did not mean to offend you. «
She moved a few sprigs closer: »Are you the old owl and the old wise one?«
The owl turned his head to the side. »The others say so. Sure, I’m old - but wise? Who could make such a claim for himself? To learn from practical experiences must not mean to be a common experience creature. And wisdom? «
The owl shook his head so that his fluffy feathers flew around.  »To use any moments, each step of your undertakings or whilst a trip in the morning already to think about the evening how to reach a maximum of happy hours and having no regrets of your doing afterwards - I believe that is wisdom! «

For o long time Cheerivie kept silent. Then she asked: »And did you never regret anything you've done in your life?«
»You see, that is the reason why I’m not wise! I do regret quite a bit and if it would be possible, I would decide differently today, I believe. Well, when I was still young my thinking and life was different to nowadays. But also, this is a privilege of the youth. “
The old owl looked at her thoughtfully:

»But what about you? You're still young and having long life ahead of you. What is your dream?  »Thoughtfully? « Cheerivie looked through the branches to the high upstanding sun at the sky where the sunbeams were playing with the white cirrus clouds and a boisterous wind was chasing them. Then she looked at the owl: 
»I'm Cheerivie, the dreamer! Until yesterday I was living over there on the other side of the lake. But you're wrong, dear owl, I'm not so young anymore as you think. I already have seen several summers and three times I brought up my youngsters already." Then.«Then she moved still closer to the old owl. 
»But now it is finished! I don’t want it anymore and so I’ve left my companion. From now on I want to be responsible only for myself !«The old owl looked surprised with his big eyes at her. 
»You want to be only yourself? You are really a dreamer. What have you been so far?«Cheerivies voice grew louder. 
»What I have been? I was nothing! A heteronomous nothing, just a functional worker, nothing more. Nobody in the world ever has asked me how I am, how I do feel.«
Cheerivie got very much upset and was shivering all over.
»You ask what I'm dreaming? Let me tell you: From the high blue sky up there, from the immeasurable wideness, from the indescribable wonderfull world which I always was longing for. You can believe me, it hasn’t been very difficul to leave!«The old owl looked at her again a bit lost in his thoughts. Such words he knew, those dreams he had dreamed himself. But he also knew the other side of the medal, which is never shining at that moment when not everything is running smoothly. 
»I understand you, Cheerivie, I understand you very well. But remember, the great poet Goethe once said:
"To understand that the sky is blue everywhere, you do not need to travel around the world!"
So, you want to fly there up in the high blue sky? 
Don’t forget, up there you will be very alone. Nobody will accompany or protect you. You'll be very lonely. Who will help you if something will happen to you?«Impatiently Cheerivie moved to and for on her branch. 
»Until now I always felt lonely as well. Amongst all the others I felt alone.
But I want to make different experiences and finding pleasure in those, though in case I shall be just on my own. «
Her eyes were looking thirsty for action. 
»Namely today and not when I'm as old as you are! You can’t change my mind, owl. Neither you could reach to manage it in spite of your clever argumentations. «
»Mm,« grumbled the owl, as he shooked his wings, »I know that I can’t stop you. And I think I will not to do so. Perhaps it comforts you, if I shall keep a free place here in my tree for you? This would enable you to come back any time when you feel homesick!!«
»Homesick? Me, never! Certainly not!«
Cheerivie said it with a special certainty which left no places for contradecisions.  
»Whatever homesick means to be. It’s nothing against the feeling of freedom, having the opportunity to fly to everywhere I want to!«Cheerivie strucked shortly her wings. Then she gave the old owl a long look. 
»Farewell, wise owl! I know you mean it well. But I have made my decision!«
In a tender gesture she picked carefully the feathers of the old owl and then she started right up with a strong flapping of her wings into the vasteness of the eternal blue sky.

The old owl sat still long on his shady place within the branches of the tree and looked up through the leaves into the infinite blue of the firmament.
He knew, one day Cheerivie might return to her confident natural home forest. Some time or other the enormous freedom will spite her out again. Then she wouldn’t be the same little Cheerivie with her great colorful dreams anymore at her return.
As the wise old owl fell asleep in the high noon heat, he felt a sadness which was attending him far into his dreams ...

 

Hi Pan, 

I like young Cheerivie  a lot and of course I  also like   the old owl. 😀

Owles are the birds of wisdom, so I am not surprised, that your story holds a lot of  wise and clever thoughts. 

​​​​​​I think many of us "older people" have a little of the old owl in us.

We call it "wisdom of life" 🦉🦉🦉



Chris33 

A nice story and one I didn't know - thank you :)

Thank you Pan to insert those great thoughts.
I felt like Cheerivies, when I  was young. I went away from home and kept going for a while. 
My thoughts were similar to the ones here....
 
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream! Discover.”
Mark Twain [SAMUEL CLEMENS] HUMORIST, ESSAYIST, NOVELIST
 
 
I did and never regretted it.
But at some age one wants more peace and quiet. Everything to its time!

The narrative came to mind once when I was doing something similar to
experienced!
Good - but a dream ...

Greetings from
Horst

Greetings Horst
 
 
Wise words from you...
We are born, learn and try to pass on what we feel might help.
BUT...
More often than not do we notice that the young ones have other ideas? Not worse, no, but just not the way we have passed them on in our wisdom.
It takes some patience and also a lot of restraint not to try and correct them.
I always felt that the Young must make their own mistakes and learn from them.
Interesting theme!
 I have 3 children and luckily the mistakes they made were not bad ones to harm them. But I notice they learned from them as well.
Now comes the time to see how they manage their own children!!


Warm and sincere greetings back
Love Yoli