The Golden Pear Tree

Kathleen was running. She ran through the woods, though fields green and past beautiful blue flowing creeks and streams. She was tired and out of breath but she kept going. She didn't know where she was running to, she just wanted to run. Running was her biggest passion. She heard birds singing above her, felt the cool wind running through her hair and smelled the beautiful potent scents of flowers that grew in wild blankets in the fields. She jumped the heavy broken hanging branches that hung low and heavy from worn down trees, over fences and she ran up beautiful green big hills.

Kathleen loved running it was her biggest passion. She had an accident 3 months back in which she had broken both her legs after falling down a ditch running. All she could do now was dream about running, which she did every night. Her legs had been severely damaged and now she was wheelchair bound and unable to run. Not being able to run felt like a deep permanent shadow had come into her life, and she felt like an outcast in the real world. Sure, her wheelchair allowed her to get about, she had participated in a marathon wheel chair race in her town last month, but nothing beat the exhilarating speed off a good run. A good run filled her heart with passion and pumped the blood harder around her body. It made her feel alive, fit and well. After a good run, she could take on her whole life.

The dream continued. Only this time she ran through wind, snow, thunder, lightening and rain. The weather didn't phase her, as she focused on her goal off just running, nowhere in particular; just doing the one thing she loved in her dreams. She breathed in the cool air, enjoying how her feet stayed grounded against the elements of the weather. She loved bedtime, because dreaming about her passion brought her closer to running again. She could run in her sleep without having to worry about what kind of pain it would bring. It was heaven being able to feel her feet touch the ground, and she didn't care that her feet were getting wet, just feeling them again made her feel good.

She stirred slightly but she soon went back to sleep, still running and still dreaming. Only this time, the sky was blue and the sun was bright. She saw beautiful coloured birds, blue, green, red and multicoloured which soared across the beautiful blue sky. She saw beautiful, delicate rainbow butterflies fluttering by and she heard a Lark singing its melodic song. She smiled and she kept running until she hit a tree. The tree was no ordinary tree, it was a big beautiful gold pear tree with a golden pond beneath it. She sat underneath it and remembered all the things she loved about herself. Her blue eyes, her brown hair, her smile, her family, her love of reading and writing. She woke with a smile. The beautiful golden pear tree had taught her:

she too was a tree. And she was a tree, bold, beautiful and strong. She could achieve anything if only she could ripen the fruits that bore her mind. She decided that strength came from the power of the mind, and if she could tap into that power, she'd be able to run again.

Kate realized that her disabilities didn't mean hopeless. She observed the golden pear tree, taking in the strong structure, the branches that hung and spread their wings with such strength. The beautiful rich leaves and fruit that grew and became more beautiful the more they were watered and fed by the sun. She smiled and she saw her reflection in the golden pond below the tree. She suddenly recognised the beauty in herself , she said to herself:

"I am strong and beautiful, just the way I am. I am not my disabilities, I am so much more."

And she was so much more. In her dream, she realized that she didn't need her legs or her feet to be able to run again. She started to understand that the wheels on her wheelchair were also her legs which used to be strong, fast and powerful. She made a wish in her dreams to make her wheels as strong and as powerful as her legs. She realized using the power of her wheels was the key to re-powering her legs and healing herself from the trauma of the accident. She chose to run again.

From the moment she woke, she saw beauty in everything, even in her disabilities. She realized running wasn't the only thing that she loved. She also loved herself, and that was worth so much more than being disabled. She chose to live and do the things she loved with every inch of her heart and soul, and if she couldn't run, she was happy racing in her wheelchair at the races. She did just that. She signed up for the next race, and she pushed that wheelchair with the same strength that she used for running. She crossed the finishing line, and her smile beamed brighter than the rays from the sun.