Stones of Greatness:

Written By:

Alexis Herrera

In a bustling village at the foot of a mountain, there was an old fountain said to grant wisdom to those who sought it. Every week, villagers would line up to whisper their troubles to the water, hoping for clarity. Among them was young Maren, a boy with boundless curiosity and a heart full of questions.

One day, Maren approached the fountain with a peculiar problem. “Why does life feel so heavy?” he asked aloud. “Why is there so much pressure to be great?” The fountain remained silent, its water glinting in the sunlight. Frustrated, Maren sat nearby, fiddling with a smooth stone he’d picked up on his way.

An old woman passing by noticed him and stopped. “You look troubled, boy. What weighs on your mind?”

Maren held up the stone. “Life feels like this—a weight I can’t put down. There is so much expectation to be great.”

The old woman chuckled softly. “Come with me,” she said, leading Maren to the edge of the village where a stream babbled over rocks. “Throw your stone into the water,” the old woman instructed.

Maren hesitated but obeyed, watching the stone sink to the bottom. “Now what?” Maren asked.

“Pick another stone,” said the old woman, pointing to the bank. Maren did, finding one much larger than before. “Feel its weight,” the woman said. Maren grunted, the heavy stone straining his small arms. “Now drop it in the stream.” Again, Maren obeyed, the splash echoing in the quiet.The old woman smiled. “Now hold as many stones as your hands can carry.”

With curiosity, the boy did as he was told, filling his palms with large, weighted stones, and waited for further instruction. But the instructions never came. Instead, the old woman nodded silently to the boy before wandering away. Confused, Maren stood at the edge of the stream, wondering if this was part of the lesson. He took a moment to admire the stones in his hands and quickly felt his arms grow weary. Still, afraid to disappoint the old woman, he held on firmly.

An hour passed and Maren’s hands and arms were exhausted. He did not know how much longer he could stand there, and just as he was about to give in, the old woman returned. “Thank goodness!” Maren exclaimed. “I wasn’t sure if you were coming back! Am I allowed to drop the stones now?"

 The old woman smiled. “You are burdened by the weight of nature and the expectations that I, a stranger, did not give you,” said the old woman. “When all you had to do, dear boy, was decide for yourself to let it go.”

Maren nodded slowly, understanding dawning in his young eyes as he released the stones from his hands— a lightness filling his chest. “I see,” said the boy. “The weight of life is not in what we carry but in our refusal to set it down. And greatness does not come from the unspoken expectations of others but from the decisions we make for ourselves.” From that day forward, whenever Maren’s life felt heavy or he felt overwhelmed with pressure to be "great", he would visit the stream, toss in a stone, and watch the current carry it away.