“If you cannot leave the past in the past, then this little story is for you.”
Once upon a time, in a quiet and peaceful forest, there lived a lovely little bird. It had bright feathers and a kind heart. But it also had a strange habit: every day, everything it saw, heard, or felt, it would write down on a small stone. Whether it was something joyful or something painful, the bird believed that every moment was worth recording.
The bird thought that happy memories should be written down so they could always bring smiles, and that sad things should be written down so they could be released from the heart. So, every day, it would pick up a new pebble, carve its thoughts on it with its beak, and place it in the little bag it carried with it wherever it flew.
At first, this was a wonderful feeling. The bird enjoyed collecting memories and believed they would be useful for its future. That little bag became a treasure chest filled with moments of its life.
But as days passed, the bag grew heavier. The more stones it collected, the heavier it became, and slowly its wings began to weaken. Its flight became slower, and without realizing it, the little bird could no longer fly as high as before. Yet, it continued collecting more stones.
One day, the bird met an old wise owl. The owl asked, “Why are you carrying that bag, little bird?” The bird smiled and replied, “This is my life. It holds all my joys, my pains, and every lesson.”
The owl frowned and asked, “Then are you truly living in the present? Or are you flying while carrying yesterday on your back?” The little bird didn’t understand the owl’s question, so it gave no answer and flew away into the distance.
As time went on, the bag became too full, and stones began to spill out. The bird could barely lift itself off the ground. Its wings ached, and its strength faded away.
One rainy evening, while struggling to fly safely, the bird fell to the ground with force. The weight of all those memory-stones pressed down on its fragile body, and the little bird met a tragic end.
The very things it thought would help it live… ended up taking its life away.
That night, the wise owl came again and looked at the fallen bird. With a sorrowful voice, it whispered:
“Memories are meant to guide you forward, not to hold you back.”
The little bird, in its attempt to carry everything, had forgotten how to simply live.
Sometimes, we are just like the little bird. We gather memories, both good and bad, and keep thinking of them constantly. But if we carry the past with us every day, our hearts will eventually grow heavy and weary. And if we live only in the past, we can no longer enjoy today, nor can we fly toward the future.
Like the little bird, many people carry the pain and joys of the past for far too long. But real life is about learning to let go. What’s done cannot be undone. Yet we can still shape the present into something beautiful.
So, forgive. Forget. Move forward.
Welcome new experiences. Step into new things. Live with a lighter heart. Be grateful. Be patient. Always keep going forward.
