In a peaceful forest that was at the edge of a river, there lived a clever fox named Vivian. Her coat colour was like the hue of fallen autumn leaves, and her eyes shone bright with the sharpness of her mind. Vivian was proud of her wit, considering herself the fastest and smartest creature in the woods and telling everybody how fast she could outrun anything that came near.
On one cool morning, Vivian noticed a small, slow-moving turtle inching along a winding path that led up to a steep hill amid the sound of birdsong and rustling leaves. Perry, the slow-moving turtle, was known for his patient and calm nature. His shell was a deep, alluring green, and his movements were calculated as if he thought twice before moving a step ahead.
Upon seeing the scene, Vivian couldn’t help but smirk as she approached him and said, ‘Perry,’’ with a teasing glint in her eye, ‘’why do you bother climbing this hill? The sun will set, and night will fall by the time you reach the top. You’re so slow that you’ll never see the view from the top before dark!”
Perry looked up at her, his face wrinkled with age and wisdom, but he was not offended by her words. “I may be slow,” he replied in his calm, steady voice, “but I find joy in the journey, not just in reaching the top, for each step brings me closer to my goal.”
Vivian laughed, circling him with graceful, quick steps. “That’s easy to say when you have no choice but to go slowly. But look at me! I could run up this hill and back down in the time it takes you to move ten steps.”
Perry nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right, Vivian. You are fast, much faster than I am. But speed is not everything.”
“Not everything?” Vivian scoffed. “It’s the only thing that matters! What use is it to move at a snail’s pace when life is so short? You miss out on everything!”
With that, Vivian dashed off, racing up the hill with ease, her legs light and her tail streaming behind her. She reached the top in minutes, panting only slightly, and looked out over the vast, beautiful forest. At this time, the sun was still low in the sky, and a cool breeze touched her face. She turned back to look down the hill and saw Perry, who was still trudging slowly but surely upward.
Vivian, proud of her speed, smiled to herself, but something kept her lingering at the top of the hill. Out of her expectations, she strangely felt unsettled. The view, indeed, was breathtaking, enough to mesmerize anyone, but… it felt empty; a strange solitude had hit her. She had raced up so quickly that the journey had passed in a blur.
She watched Perry for a while longer, and as she did, she noticed something curious. Though he moved slowly, Perry stopped often, taking in his surroundings. He was fully absorbing the passing by moments, the fluttering butterflies, and the sunlight filtering through the trees. He stopped by to chat with a small squirrel, passed time with him. He was fully content and enjoying the journey as he was not in a hurry.
An odd feeling stirred in Vivian’s chest—something like doubt, curiosity. She lay down near the top of the hill, her head resting on her paws, watching Perry continue his slow, steady climb.
Hours passed; the sun rose higher in the sky, and the day grew warmer. At last, as the afternoon light began to soften, Perry reached the top of the hill. His steps were small, but they were sure, and when he finally stood beside Vivian, he smiled a slow, peaceful smile.
“You made it!” Vivian said, trying to hide her surprise. “I thought for sure you’d give up or turn back.”
Perry chuckled, his laugh soft like the rustling of leaves. “Why would I give up? The path was long, but I enjoyed every step.”
Vivian blinked. “But it took you all day! Aren’t you tired? You could have been here hours ago if you were faster.”
Perry looked out at the view, his eyes calm and content. “Yes, I could have,” he agreed. “But imagine what I would have missed along the way: the world is full of small beauties, and by moving slowly, I had time to see them all. The hill is no less lovely now that I’ve arrived, but my journey gave me more to remember. The butterflies, the sunlight, the squirrel’s stories—all of those were part of my journey, too.”
Vivian stared at him, thinking of her own race to the top. She did not stop to see the butterflies; she did not hear the birds singing or chirping or the sunlight dancing through the leaves. Because she had been so busy trying to reach the destination, she forgot true beauty lies in the whole journey, the process of reaching up to the destiny and not the destiny itself.
And for the first time, Vivian realized she had been doing it wrong forever… for the first time, she was not proud of her speed. She realized that Perry’s speed might be slow but his experience was joyful; in order to reach to the destination, she forgot to experience the joyful moments in between. It was a lesson that slow-moving Perry had given to her, and fortunately, Vivian understood it.
As the sun began to set, Vivian and Perry sat side by side, watching the sky turn shades of pink and orange. Vivian, for once, was in no hurry to leave. She felt something new—a sense of peace she hadn’t expected.
“Maybe there’s more to this journey thing than I had previously thought,” Vivian said quietly.
Perry smiled, his old eyes twinkling, “There’s more to every journey than just the destination, Vivian.”
And so, the fox and the turtle sat together, watching the world slow down, and for the first time in her life, Vivian didn’t mind moving a little more slowly.
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