Swim in the wrong direction and you may end up in the can.
Such is the life of this little sardine and the tale of his tail.
*1
Two little sardines, in their afterlife were observing a family of humans enjoying a meal.
The large sardine was named Tom and the smaller one was Timmy.
Tom and Timmy had been best friends since they were small...well...except that Tom has always been bigger and older.
Tom and Timmy were not that interested in anything that happens because a poet, in her wisdom wrote and sang: ‘Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.’
So, Tom and Timmy were simply waiting for nothing to ever happen.
Tom, being the most life experienced sardine was simply observing the family when he realised something.
Tom turned to Timmy...looking at his mate’s tail noticed that there was a piece missing from the fin area. Not wanting to bother Timmy or upset him, because Timmy was always conscious about his appearance, Tom said nothing.
After all, if Tom said something perhaps Timmy might become upset.
Timmy...not interested in anything not happening, was watching Tom watching him...Timmy.
“So...?” says Timmy to Tom.
“So...?” replies to Tom to Timmy.
They both looked down at the family enjoying their repast.
The two sardines were looking down at their worldly bodies resting on a green salad.
“Like...how did that happen???” asked Timmy of Tom.
Tom, not wanting to upset Timmy, feigned ignorance.
“What?” asked Tom.
“Like... us being here...somewhere...a place where nothing ever happens and look...look Tom! Our lovely shiney bodies down there! How did that happen! Tom?” Timmy was quite aghast trying to look down but was horrified because the both of them had no heads and one had half a tail.
Tom replied, “I don't know, I remember being in a big net kind of thing and then pulled from the water and dumped on some kind of human clanking thing in the dark.
It pushed me on and on, and on, around and around and next thing I knew, my head and tail was chopped off. Then, here I am with you Timmy, looking down at ourselves after being pushed out of that metal thing...a tin. We do look nice on top of that green stuff though.”
Timmy began to panic and carry on like a chook...or something with a head chopped off...but then again....
Timmy was really beginning to panic and become very upset.
“What about me! No head, with only part of my tail...what happened to the rest of my tail, I loved my tail...it was the best bit of me. I loved my tail...it swished and swashed and looked rather handsome...or so I thought! Look at it now!!!”
Tom answered...”Timmy, get real...I can't look at you...I've got no head!”
Tom reverted to being the wise old fatherly figure to Timmy and quietly explained.
“Timmy...it is like this. We have been very lucky, our lives may be finished earlier than we would have liked but look at us, although we are dead and our bodies no longer of use to us, we have benefited others. We are food to humans, while other smaller things in the ocean were our food. Our appearance now is of little importance, but what is important is that we can benefit other creatures.”
“See Timmy that's how it is, we have no heads, tails scales or bodies but we know we are here together. You know you can see me but it is not a seeing things with our eyes, it is a feeling kind of way of seeing. It is different, we may not have a physical presence...but we have presence in a different way...we can still see things...but differently with our feelings.”
Timmy was really not too accepting of Tom’s ideas but said nothing.
Tom continued. “I see us being formless beings...we are here...we know we are here...and just because we can't see each other...we feel and communicate through our presence.”
“Yeah right.” Timmy replied sullenly with cynicism.
“So what now? We hang around here in heaven where nothing ever happens waiting for nothing to ever happen?”
“Yes Tommy, but something will happen. See, we are formless beings or energies simply waiting until we move on to become other living things and become useful again. Just because we see ourselves on that green salad below...no heads...tail or half a tail...it does not matter. What does matter is that we still continue to exist in some form or other.
Our appearance does not matter anymore.”
“Yeah...right ok...but I still want my tail back.” Timmy complained.
Tom kindly and patiently answered:
“Timmy, get over it, it ain’t gunna happen. Forget it and move on. We can't go back.
It is like all life, once things happen...good or bad...we just have to accept things and move on.”
At that juncture, something in heaven did happen.
Tom and Timmy began to move onto a new life.
Verde.
*1 Image © futuristfarmgirl.com
