The Journey of Grit

It had grit. No, wait, it was grit. A tiny speck, one among a million, but only one in a million. 

It didn't know where it came from or where it will go. Nor did it care. It lived surrounded by family and friends and needed nothing else. When the breeze blew gently, it played with its friends, rising up, jumping high and then falling to the earth. It was thrilling, exciting and a break from routine.

One day, the wind blew a little stronger and the grit found itself alone, separated not just from its family and friends, but there was none like him. It was drowned in a white, limpid pool didn't like the soft texture. Suddenly a fountain seemed to flood it. It squirmed. There was a hard knock in response. It squirmed again, moving out of the way. Again the knock. It was scared. It moved around and something chased it. Its fear turned to wonder and then excitement. Hey! This was a new game and it started enjoying it. It rolled here and there. 

It felt powerful as if it had achieved something truly unique! No one else can do what it was doing! And it was getting so much attention! It had never felt so separate, so different! It was a heady feeling.

It felt water splash and went on the next thrilling journey of its life. Down a small hole, sliding down into dark depths, sloshing and splashing, and finally out in the sun!

It realised there was life outside it colony of grit, beyond what it knew. And it had talent. Living as it had cocooned, it had not realized it could do things that made it popular. It had always limited itself because that's what everybody had done! How it longed to go back and tell its brethren to step out and see the world! To do something different. To poke and prick and to be chased, because it needed special talent and opportunities!

Oh, it was blessed! It was given an opportunity others didn't get! Why hadn't it seen this before? How could it have missed how special it was! It was not like the rest. Even when the wind blew, it always went higher than others, and even when the others wanted to not move, it was ever willing to go up one more round!

It thanked the wind that had brought it away and shown it its true destiny! It lay back in the gutter, pleased to see no one around, waiting for the next wave to take it away.

It flowed from canal to canal and joined the river. It saw the mountain and wondered if they were the same. Tall and powerful. But it was washed off again and it wondered, why did the mountain remain but it could not be where it wanted. Now it feared the journeys. It had met its cousins, similar but not the same, in riverbeds. They didn't speak the same language. But they too seemed content. It floated a little above, prancing and getting into eyes so that it could be remembered and it could increase its achievements. 

Slowly, it felt lonely. It longed for more like it, to go back to its family, to be who it was.

As it was flung out by a wave, it landed on the banks and lay back to rest for a moment and get its bearing. It felt it was back home. Amongst others just like it. It realised it was nothing. A mere speck, insignificant in this world filled with wonders bigger than it and less craving.

It saw an enthusiastic grain of sand fly up and wanted to say, "Don't go that way. The path is lonely. Come back, be with those who love you and embrace you."

But the new grit was destined for its own journey. The new grit had to follow its path, have its experiences and learn what the older one had. It had to be knocked around before it could see what the first one had.