Intro: Pounding bass note and a stirring fanfare of horns. Welcome to another edition of Things to Think about. Here's Stacy. The horns continue with a keyboard note held.
Relaxing piano music is in the background.
Welcome to the Things to Think About podcast, where we use fables and fairy tales to come to deeper truths about our subconscious world. I'm Stacy Casson and today's story explores loneliness. This weekend, I participated in a charity walk. Even though I was surrounded by thousands of people, I often felt alone. Are we as alone as we think we are? We will delve into this topic in a tale I call, “All By Myself”. And now, get comfortable and relax. Take a deep breath in. And exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. And if you'd like, you can slowly close your eyes.
Once upon a time, there was a lonely unicorn. The unicorn was very sweet and always lit up a room. People were excited to see such a magical creature in public places. If you were walking down a busy street, you may have caught a glimpse of the unicorn dancing in the roadway. Unicorns love music. Our unicorn was very accommodating to the people it encountered. It posed for pictures, kissed babies, and made everyone happy wherever it went. Yet, the unicorn felt very isolated. It was the only one of its kind. The unicorn could not see the world as a human because of how its eyes were placed upon its head.
The unicorn had many friends because it was a kind and gentle creature. Sometimes it was a bit clumsy and would bump into people, but it was so soft and cuddly that nobody minded. The unicorn had good friends. They always helped it when there were many strangers around. It was easy for a unicorn to get lost in a concrete world where everything looked the same. It could not differentiate the various buildings. They all looked like colorful piles of rectangles and sometimes the city streets and sidewalk tripped up its hoofs. It was a beautiful day, so the unicorn went to a park with its friends. They laughed and chatted and enjoyed the marvelous weather. Many other humans had the same idea and the park was very crowded.
The friends wanted to explore and together they walked around the park. They found curious statues that could light up and move. Other parts of the park had hidden fog machines that could blast whoever stepped under an archway of vines. The unicorn was delighted by all the surprises they discovered together. Sometimes the humans would talk about human things and leave the unicorn to their musings. It kept an eye on them to make sure they would not get lost but did not seem to have anything to add to the human conversation. “Look, look, it’s the unicorn!” it would hear the other parkgoers whisper. Some covertly took pictures. Patiently the unicorn would pose for the camera and then continue walking trying to be reunited with its friends.
The unicorn was in the midst of a pity party since everyone had paired off and was deep in conversation when all of a sudden, it felt a hand on its shoulder. “Are you okay?” It was one of its friends. “Yes, I am fine,” the unicorn replied. “I was worried because the sun was up and I know it hurts your eyes.” “You are very kind,” the unicorn responded. “I figured a workaround by looking down at the ground.” “I’m glad,” the friend said and continued to walk alongside. The unicorn realized that it belonged. As it reflected, it realized that the friends always checked in on the unicorn and included it in all their activities. Of course, they acted differently because they were humans and it was a unicorn. The unicorn felt a little less lonely. “Hey!! Wait up!” it yelped and pranced after its friends.
Perhaps the stories we tell ourselves need to be explored further. Are our thoughts true? Perhaps we only need a fresh perspective. And now you can take a deep breath in and exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. Deep breath in and exhale. And when you're ready, wiggle your toes. Wiggle your fingers and slowly open your eyes. If you're enjoying this podcast, please tell a friend.
Closing: Closing jazzy keyboard and thrumming bass. Hope you enjoyed today's segment. Tell a friend. See you next time. Music fades.
