The story of the Pondering Calf (Got... Thought?)

This story is about a Pondering Calf,” He started.

 “Long ago, in a peaceful little village nestled at the foot of a mountain, there was a cow herder that had a large herd of cows. Every morning he would take the cows out to pasture, and after a day of grazing he’d lead them to the river for a drink of water. 

It was a dirty and muddy river, but there was no other around for miles, so the cows had to drink the muddy water day in and day out. 

Among these cows there was a calf worth mentioning. The two year old spotted calf held the ability to “think and reason”. Imagine that! 

After drinking the muddy water for a couple of years, the calf had a thought come to mind.

“What if further up the stream there’s better water?”

As he pondered around that thought, the calf felt his desire for better water grow into the courage to try and find it. The following evening at the river, as all the cows drank, our calf took a chance while the herder wasn’t looking, and started walking upstream. He walked along the banks of the river for a whole day, and feeling a little tired he stopped and grazed on some fresh grass and then had a drink of water. That is when the calf noticed a change in taste. 

The water tasted just a tad better. The calf felt good, and having quenched his thirst he went to sleep on a pile of moss under the clear starry skies. He dreamt a funny dream that night, in which the crystal clear Spring that would later turn into the muddy river, came out of the heart of a mountain, in a magnificent waterfall.

           The calf kept walking and walking, the river kept getting smaller and shallower but also clearer and better tasting. On his journey he saw many things, while untouched forests welcomed him on his way with offers of fresh grass and wild fruit. 

He saw a multitude of cowherds, in the fields nearby, or drinking at the river, noticing that all of them were being lead by a cow herder. He also saw herds of sheep that were peacefully grazing under the watchful eye of their Shepherds and their trained dogs. There were also herds of goats meandering by the hundreds across the hills and valleys.

“All these animals, although different in looks and color, had one thing in common,” the calf realized.

They were all being herded by their herders and their dogs. Some of them were called cow herders, some shepherds, others were called goat herders, depending on the kind of animals they were herding. 

After many days of walking upstream and up the mountain, the calf finally made it to the Spring he so much yearned for. To his disappointment though, it wasn’t the mighty and fabulous spring coming out of the heart of the mountain into a spectacular waterfall, as the calf had dreamt it. Rather the spring looked like an ordinary small stream of water springing from underneath a pile of leaves, and then flowing peacefully toward the bottom of the green, lush valley.

“At least I found it. Let’s see what it tastes like,” the calf thought. He kneeled his front legs, sank his muzzle into the clear, crisp water and drank heartily. However, there was something about this spring that took him by surprise. The more he drank, the thirstier he got.

              The taste of the water was beyond the calf’s wildest expectation. From the first mouthful, the water made him feel things that were strange in nature, brand new… yet somehow felt right. 

The water started coursing through his very being, invading every cell of his body, bringing in Peace, Truth and unknown Strengths.

“Wow!” the calf exclaimed after finally being able to stop drinking.

“I wonder what this water is doing to me.”

He then walked towards a puddle of water a few feet away and looked in it trying to see his reflection. He saw no such thing and got intrigued. He looked harder, but still nothing. There was no reflection of the calf on the surface of the puddle.

“Oh, well!” he thought, amazed and amused at the same time.

“There’s nothing lost”… the Calf concluded.

“Did you like it?” He asked afterwards.

“Good story, but why a calf? And what is the moral of the story?”

“The moral is that in order to taste the better water, one needs to put forward the proper effort required in the Search for it. Why a thinking calf and not something else, that is your homework. You’ll need to turn it on as many sides as possible,” He suggested.

“Would it be ok for me to write this down, it’ll be easier for me to work on this way,” I asked.

“Sure, actually I insist you do. You already have the Silver Book your girlfriend bought for you,” He mentioned with what I perceived to be a slight mischievous remark.

“You don’t have to feel ashamed for it, I meant for having Alena for a girlfriend. She entered your streamline before you even met her. At this stage you need her. Her stimuli are working beneficially on you. The motivation you get thru her gave you an extra push forward. She will come to pass as well. ‘Till that moment, she is a prep-up gift, while you in turn will have unawarely played the part of a prep-up gift for her. Let’s not get into it any further for now,” He explained.... to be continued.