"...With every rise and set of the sun, I can feel the void taking over; I might as well disappear one day, leaving behind an unsuccessful quest for purpose", I thought as every inch of my body stiffened in disbelief, "What have I been doing all these years?"

"Why doesn't this search end?"

"Will I cease before I seize the motif?"

"What is the purpose of life after all?"

Every human stumbles upon these thoughts at least once in their life, I am no different. I am yet another average human being, searching for the magic that'd fill this void. The myth says that our heart resides in a hollow - a hollow of contentment and motive; the more fulfilled we feel, the more this hollow is "filled", however, the farther we move from a purposeful life, the larger this hollow grows. A point arrives where this hollow swallows us up absolutely, and then the person vanishes over the passing days. "Such a moronic myth", I mumble to myself as I take the coat off the hanger and wear it, "Guess I just need some fresh air. My mind is only fogged up, afterwards I'd return back to my unvaried lifestyle".

I walk out of the door. With a deep sigh, my eyes absorb the grey clouds up above. I trod on the same old path, encounter the same old people, and witness the same old hustle and bustle. "Life is truly a blind race where most don't even bother to move; the few who partake simply keep on turning their heads hither and thither, with their hands stretching, and wavering, in an attempt to find and seize 'something'; among the latter, only a handful actually succeed whilst the rest fall into oblivion..." I pondered. By the time my chain of thoughts broke, I had already reached an unfamiliar place. The residential blocks were long gone.

As I snapped back to consciousness, I witnessed greenery that I had never seen before: "Such musical yet tranquil cluster of trees engirdled our society, yet I never saw; or perhaps, I should say I overlooked." I heard an ensemble of birds that I had never heard before and a band of squeaking squirrels that sang along. My hand tried to outreach itself, seeking the 'invisible'; I felt a momentous contentment, and my heart felt like growing, but in mere seconds this feeling was overtaken by a heart-clutching emotion as if a thousand needles were tailoring my heart to be smaller again.

I focused my eyes diagonally left; there was a thin trail hidden amidst the overgrown grass. "A trail! People must often stroll there", my mind went joyfully. I then proceeded on that trail, sieving behind all the existential dread that had been hovering over me. The further I walked in, the shorter the grass became — quite the opposite of what one expects on the outskirts — "Am I simply walking back to the colony?" I wondered. Soon enough, the line of trees ended, and the trail opened into a garden of flowers.

Squirrels were running about in those flower beds, and abruptly stopping here and there to nibble on the green leaves and the luscious petals. Beside those nibbling little critters were birds, hopping about and twittering. Two birds flew upwards together, twirling around in a roundabout as if they had curated a dance. My eyes followed their flight in awe.

"What a vibrant blue! What a beautiful flight!"

The sky had washed away its gloom. It now looked like a vast puzzle of milky and rosy clouds, floating and merging, to build beautiful sculptures for this massive canvas. On one end of this boundless yonder, the clouds were ablaze under the setting sun while the opposite end darkened into an immersive indigo. Soon it was twilight. I then noticed, on the far end of the garden, a bench lit golden under the light of a lamp post. The grass-green bench had been invisible until now owing to its colour, and similarly, the lamp post had been invisible by camouflaging into the tall trees behind it; but now they looked so inviting as if they were calling the drifted and tired hearts to finally relax and settle. I leisurely sat there, with my hands folded behind my head, and my legs stretching out in bliss.

The Sky was ornamenting itself with all the pearls she could wear, and the crescent moon was a cherry on top of her beauty. I was so engrossed in this beauty that I did not even realize that someone else had also sat beside me. "When did this person arrive here?", I thought as I foolishly kept looking at them in surprise.

Since the place was handsomely lit, it wasn't hard to realize that the person beside me was a lady. She had wrinkles around her eyes, declaring her old age. Her soft smile and sharp eyes cried out that she was a well-educated lady. "I am not a ghost if that's what you are wondering", she said to me with a loud, clear, yet soft voice. I had zoned out, so I fumbled when she broke the ice.

"I-wh-why...aren't you afraid to be out here in the dark?

"Why should I be afraid?"

"What if I rob you?"

"What will you rob me of?"

"I-"

"You can't rob me. You can't rob me of my youth for it is long gone. You can't rob me of my knowledge for it can only be received. You can't rob me of my life for I have already lived."

"You still have decades to live. Wo-won't you be regretful if you were to die right now?", I asked in sheer bewilderment.

"It seems to me you have not yet learned to live", she replied in that straightforward voice.

"I am alive...but I haven't lived.", I softly mumbled.

"With every rise and set of the sun, I can feel the void taking over; I might as well disappear one day, leaving behind an unsuccessful quest for purpose. What have I been doing all these years?", I thought as every inch of my body stiffened in disbelief. Her precisely chosen words proclaimed how sorted her mind was. Her smile and light speech had created such a homely atmosphere that I couldn't help myself but vent to her.

"Why doesn't this search end? Will I cease before I seize the motif? What is the purpose of life after all?", I cried out.

"Why have you been searching for the purpose of life when the word itself describes it? The purpose of life is to live", she said with that same collected tone.
"Life is living in a free environment;" she continued, "it is the freedom that makes it worthwhile. The more we entrap ourselves with the Purpose Question, the more caged we become. We suppress our creativity for the want of a meaningful purpose when all this while it was creativity itself that kept us alive. Children are the most joyous and free souls for their mind is growing with each passing day. They are full of curiosity, and they celebrate every answer to their questions. Why mustn't we adults celebrate small victories too?"

My mind resounded with the words "The purpose of life is to live". Her words had sunk me into the zone. Everything else was fading away and I felt a floating sensation. A buoyancy in my feet, in my chest, in my mind; it was something contrary to what I have always felt. The only place that wasn't light anymore was my heart. 

"It does not feel light and empty anymore!" I thought in a heavy and joyous tone, while my hands frolicked on my chest as if in an attempt to ensure that the void may never be found. The lady's words had knocked a profound realization in me. It was as if all the heaviness of my body had been re-centred at my heart, after having converted it all from an obscure burden to a curious contentment.

"Madam, tell me, do you know the myth about the hollow heart? I heard about it from my grandmother; I never believed it, but the way I felt today makes me think there might be some weight in that myth. Tell me, madam, if my conclusion is true: the once-looming void in my heart has now filled with a level of curious contentment for I can see that life is in fact a journey and not a destination; thus I believe that this void must take its origin in the sadness that hovers over us during the early adulthood. I infer that this must be our ancestors' way of metaphorically keeping us aware of our own heart, mind, and soul."

"Indeed", she replied. After that mysterious confirmation, she stood up and looked at the central clock, indicating her time to leave. With gratitude and newfound clarity, I thanked the old wise lady for her insights, and for rekindling my soul. Afterwards, we walked our separate ways.

Thereafter, I made it a habit to stroll around in that park. The experiences of that day have now become the elixir of my life. I ensured to notice the vibrant palette of the sky that the sun provides, to marvel at the ever-changing clouds, to cherish every flower on my path, to turn overgrown tracks into gateways of exploration, to enjoy the sound of every chirp and tweet and squeak, and to live.

It's been thirty years now, but I had never seen the lady since that day. "She might have reached her destination already", I ponder oftentimes, and then promise myself to experience, learn, appreciate and unveil as many mysteries of this world as I can, until I reach my destination.

"Sometimes, all we need is a little guidance."