Entry 62: Ramen Boy

"there was once a boy...
who hailed from a sleepy fishing town...

he dreamt of seeing the world...
everything beyond the town's confine...

so one day he pack his bag...
said farewell to his family and left...

as he made his way...
he promised when he returns...
he would have made his name...

he embarked on an adventure...
travelling the world's great expanse...

finally he stumbled upon a stop...
steamy bowl of ramen with a magical glow...

he has found his master...
now he must work hard to hone his craft...

for many years he sweat and learn...
muscular arms made for kneading chewy dough...
delicate skin ruined by constant scorching and burns...

he was not a gifted learner...
but a diligent student...

while fellow apprentice took half the time he needs...
he refine each skill with twice the amount of training...

time flew by in a swift...
after years of meticulous practice...
he more than held his own...
his ramen was acclaimed in his adopted land...
people travel just to get a taste...

yet human is a vulnerable race...
nothing can rid him of his homesickness...
not even glory and praises...

so he set his mind to return...
back to where he began...

he was eager to show his family and friends...
the mastery he work so hard to earn...

but there are no noodles or dough...
this is just a fishing place...

he tried to use the fresh fish in abundance...
to recreate the exquisite taste of ramen...

he tried and tried and tried...
but was only greeted with failure and waste...

he did not understand what is wrong...
why this is going on...

then one day his aging mother came to his aid...
listen my boy she said...

i know you are a great ramen chef...
but fish will always be just fish...
you have such culinary gifts...
why not create your own dish...

a smile spread across the boy's face...
he finally come to his senses...
he had been looking at the wrong places...

so he start over once again...
without the burden of history...
he used his imagination to create a brand new future..."

how many times we looked at the past...
and let all the emotions we had anchor us from proceeding forward...
we will never find the ingredients of yester years in the present...
that does not mean what we have today cannot make us as happy...
or even happier...
perhaps all we need to do...
is stop trying to fit fragments of the past...
with the fresh components of our present...