Dan casually strolled the isle of the Self-Improvement books, skimming the various titles. No matter what kind of book he was currently in need of, he seemed to always find himself back in this section, hoping a book would find him. He had already read all the “greats,” putting into practice all the “secondhand” knowledge he obtained from them. Over time the books began to blend together, almost stealing from each other, never an original idea.
They say, “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” So, where is the teacher? Dan thought to himself as he continued looking, oblivious to the other students in the isle. He finally came across a title that piqued his interest and began to reach for it when he bumped into someone, knocking a book out of their hands.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Dan apologized. “I didn’t see…” his words trailed off as his eyes locked onto hers.
He stood there, mouth slightly open, but no words forthcoming. He stared deep into her eyes, becoming lost to the world around him. She had the most alluring eyes he had ever seen, deep blue, like the ocean. Time stood still as his soul dove into them.
She stared back at him, a small smile curled up at the end of her lips. She slowly reached out her index finger, placed it under his chin, and gently closed his mouth shut. The touching of his lips together brought him back to reality.
Dan opened his eyes as wide as possible, allowing the world around him to come rushing back, then shook his head quickly, clearing remnants of another place from his mind. He looked down at the book she had dropped and picked it up off the floor, happy to break away from her hypnotic gaze.
He turned the book over and looked at the cover. “Awe, ‘The War of Art’ by Stephen Pressfield. I love that book,” he said as he handed it over to her.
“I know you do,” she replied, placing the book on top of the others she was holding. She looked back up at Dan, their eyes met once again, but before he could respond, he was off in another world.
She had the most exquisite eyes he had ever seen, like a forbidden jungle, and once you made your way into them, you were lost forever with no hope of ever being rescued. Dan didn’t care; he didn’t want to be saved; he just wanted to stay lost in her deep, forest green eyes.
Wait! What?
Dan instantaneously snapped back to reality; the sudden jolt caused him to take a small step back. He stood looking at her, perplexed, not sure how to comprehend what was going on.
She smiled at the confused look on his face. She took a step closer, gently grabbed his upper arm with her free hand, brought his ear to her mouth, and whispered. “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”