Directions to the Top of the World

And all of a sudden, he felt a tug on his oversized shirt. Below him stood a little girl with sparkling honey-brown eyes, and brown curly locks.

The little girl looked up at him and with an audacious tone suddenly said: ⠀

“Hey mister, can you tell me how to get to the top of the world ?”

Taken a back, he raised a brow for a split second, but soon after, his expression turned soft. “Top of the world you say, huh?” He smirked as he kneeled down to reach her at eye level.⠀⠀

“Yes sir” she answered firmly.

“And you’re sure that’s what you want?” He asked her in a playful tone.

“More than anything!” She said excitedly.

Though it was only the two of them there, it was eminent this brave little girl was ready to hear what’s to come.

“Alright” he said, “If that’s what you want, here goes” and straight away began his explanation: ⠀⠀

“As you leave for your journey be sure to follow these next steps very carefully. Do you understand?”

Her eyes widened with excitement as she nodded quickly a few times.

“So from here, you’ll want to head out of comfort zone, all the way to courage.”

The little girl was mouthing the directions so that she doesn’t miss a single detail. ⠀⠀

“Take a right on perseverance, then another right on kindness. Make sure to pass right by fear, jealousy and hate.” He gave her a moment to process before he continued. ⠀⠀

“Now, you be sure to make a stop at burnout, okay? Because only after that you’ll truly be ready to head toward ambition and aspiration. And while those can be somewhat difficult to find at times, don’t get discouraged and don't be afraid to ask for help” he emphasized.

The little girl remained mesmerized, and he could tell by her expression that she was yearning to hear more.

“And just as importantly… Even if you find yourself lost somewhere on your journey, be sure to learn from every turn as you find your way back"

"Good thing I love learning" she responded innocently.

He couldn't help but pause and smile.

"In that case, you be sure to love and learn a whole a lot, okay? Learn from it all. Whatever comes your way... Even when you reach the slump called 'mistakes'. Learning from those is a sure way of steering yourself back in the right direction."

He could tell she was taking it all in and gave her another moment to process.

"And just as importantly, once you've stirred youself back to the right path, don't look back on mistakes. Move forward, okay? And even though it may be tempting to pass by there at times... Never, ever go through regret”

“No regrets, got it” She said soundly and nodded. “What else?”

“I guess that’s it."

The little girl was taken by surprise. ⠀⠀

“Really? That’s it?” She asked. ⠀⠀

“That’s it" he assured her.

She then let out a sigh of relief and with it, a wide smile. A smile brighter than the sun. ⠀

“Huh. I thought it’d be more complicated than that.” ⠀

He chuckled and added: “Oh, and one more thing… Don’t forget to smile just like this when you get to your destination.”

“How come?” she asked politely, moderately confused by the odd request.

“Because that’s how I’ll know you made it safely… Promise?” ⠀⠀

“I Promise” she said excitedly and immediate set off.

And as he watched her disappear into the distance, he mumbled to himself, “Godspeed, little one... Godspeed.” ⠀

Years later, on a cloudy, gloomy day, the world suddenly turned bright.

It turned bright because a promise had been kept.

It turned bright because someone was on top of the world.

- - -

Photographs are my own, unless stated otherwise.

For more creative writing and travel tales and inspiration, please visit my Instagram: @keren.vs.world