Somewhere Farther than the Universe

Good morning, Ms. Duck.

And good morning, Mr. Fox.

I have a question!

And I have a lesson.

Let’s hear yours first.

Oh, but what about your question?

It can wait! You first.

Alright, then. This lesson begins with a question.

Boo, be original.

Shush. Now, Mr. Fox, how are you doing?

Oh how sweet! Let’s see, uh… I’ve been doing a whole lot of nothing, actually.

Why is that?

I mean, there’s not a whole lot to do when you live outside the universe.

Good point.

Just a whole lot of floatin’ around. But I’ve been alright!

Good. That’s good. Have you been strong lately?

Wow, that’s heavy, Ms. Duck.

Come on, humor me.

Hmm, I think so?

Ahh, but what is strength, Mr. Fox?

Ooh, philosophical. Me likey! I think strength is… Uhh…

Go on.

Strength?

Yes, strength.

Strength is… strength? It’s… it’s a kind of word that's… what’s the word…

What? Autological?

Yeah, like a word that just defines itself.

Well define it more, otherwise we can’t learn the lesson.

Ugh, fine. Strength is… the ability to exert and withstand pressure, I guess?

Ooh, that’s a good one. Technical.

Thank you!

Great, now hold out your hand.

Okay.

And clench your fist.

They’re balled.

That takes strength, right?

To close it? Yeah, I’d say so.

And to keep it closed. You’re exerting pressure to ball your fist tight. Now, what if I do this?

Ow, ow, ow, ouch, stop!

See, you kept it closed! While withstanding the pressure of me pulling it open. That’s still strength, right?

Sure, yeah. Wish you’d been gentle, though.

Now open your hands.

Promise you won’t hurt me again?

Promise.

They’re open.

Good. Now, did opening it take strength?

I… No? I don’t think so.

Oh, Mr. Fox. It did! Just a different kind of strength.

I don’t get it.

Hmm. Let’s try that again. Close your eyes.

They’re closed.

Now imagine in your hand you had a rose.

Got it.

Describe it for me, please!

Hmm… It’s pretty. The petals are a beautiful deep red. Like all roses!

Are you holding it by the stem?

Yeah, actually. It’s prickly. Thorny.

Good. Now clench your fist.

Ow!

Mr. Fox, there isn’t actually a rose in your hand.

Yeah, but I got a strong imagination!

Sweet, sweet mr. Fox. It’s good that you do.

Thanks!

So, closing your fist around the rose hurt, right?

Mhmm. Is that the lesson?

Not yet. Now that you have a fistful of thorns, what do you want to do?

I want to let it go.

And to let it go, do you exert the same amount of effort it took to grip it? To let it go, do you just sit there, withstand the pricks puncturing your palm?

No.

No, indeed. The act of letting go is an act of strength, Mr. Fox, just a bit of a different one; a strength that requires courage. To let slip your flesh, loosen the tug of your ligaments, until eventually the thorns fall off by themselves.

I don’t get it, Ms. Duck.

Which part?

I mean, all I’ll be left with is a bleeding hand. Where’s the courage there?

The courage, Mr. Fox, is in having faith that you were better off letting go than holding on.

Wow. I still don’t get it.

You are a sweet thing, Mr. Fox. Here, how about this; what’s something important to you?

You, Ms. Duck! You’re important to me.

Sweet little fox. Great. Now imagine I hurt you.

Oh, no! You would never do that, right?

Of course not, Mr. Fox. But use that strong imagination of yours.

Alright… I imagine you didn’t greet me “good morning” one day.

Not bad enough!

I… imagine you told me I was ugly!

Worse! Make me evil!

I imagine I had a pet goldfish and you kicked it to death!

Okay, alright, that’s bad enough.

I would cry.

You would cry, right, and what would you want to do?

Hmm. If you did that… I think I would want to stop talking to you.

Would it be easy?

…No. I don’t think it wouldn’t.

Why not?

Because you’re important to me, Ms. Duck.

Even if I kicked your beloved goldfish to death?

Hmm…

If I did that, you would have to let me go. I would be the thorns in your palm. Balling your fist would mean inviting me deeper into your skin, prickly as I may be.

And my hand would bleed.

And your hand would bleed. And your hand would never heal, so long as you never let go.

I think I see it now.

Oh, you do?

Yeah! The strength there is… in being able to do what needs to be done. Strength is doing especially when the deed is difficult.

But even opening your fist will hurt. As the rose is released the thorns will move and shake and carve new wounds into your palm. And they won’t fall off all at once.

But the strength there is in taking the first step; letting go.

You do get it!

That’s a really cool lesson, Ms. Duck.

And I hope it sticks. So, about your question?

Oh… the question, err… I can’t remember it, actually.

In the next episode, then. Good chat, Mr. Fox.

Always a pleasure, Ms. Duck!