By Christine Stuart
Jason started his drive to California with excitement brimming inside him. This was the culmination of months of planning and preparation. He believed that dreams were a way that the higher powers in the cosmos communicated with people. So when he had a vivid dream two years ago about meeting a woman and getting married, he believed that was what the cosmos had in store for him. He set a goal to be prepared to find his soulmate and get married by a certain date. That goal was now only three days away.
As the time had passed following his dream, he had continued to do his best to remain open to what the higher powers wanted him to do. Then three months ago, as he had been driving home from work, a thought had come with some force into his mind. You know, if you really believed you were going to be married on this date, you would prepare.
Shocked, he had to agree. So he got busy planning and putting things in place. He was fitted for a tuxedo, he prepared wedding invitations—at least the part he could prepare—and he looked at some rings just to get some ideas and price points that he could work toward.
Jason had another dream that he was wearing a tuxedo in a certain city in California that he recognized. He booked a hotel there for three days and requested time off work. All the while, he wondered when he would meet his intended. After all, it had been a couple of years since he set the date and he still hadn’t met anyone whom he wanted to marry. As the day drew closer and closer, he wondered if he was going to meet her in California. Who would she be? What would she be like? He could only wonder and do his best to follow the direction he was receiving.
Then the day came to depart. He loaded up his things into his truck and climbed in for the long drive.
He hit some bad traffic along the way, but he was so excited that he didn’t get into much of a bad mood. Finally, the traffic cleared, putting him four hours behind schedule. He called the hotel to let them know that he would be checking in late. He arrived early in the morning and happily went to his room to get a little shut-eye before really starting the day.
Jason drove around, picked up some last-minute essentials from the grocery store, and then was left to wonder what exactly he was supposed to do for the rest of the day. Nothing really came to mind, so he drove around, picked up some food, ate, and wandered. Although he did his best, he never found anyone that day.
There were no dreams about California, marriage, or Jason’s intended that night.
The next morning, he got up, showered, and dressed, ready to go as if this was his wedding day. Then he climbed once more into his truck and drove around. Still, he didn’t feel any direction to speak of. He tried his best to find who and what he was looking for. He would occasionally stop and walk around trying to see if that would help him be more open to some sort of sign. He prayed, he meditated, but still, he didn’t receive any strong feelings. Finally, as evening came, his heart fell. Maybe he had been wrong about why he was here, or maybe something else had happened.
Tired, hungry, and facing disappointment, Jason climbed into his truck and drove to a nearby restaurant to pick up some food. He drove back to his hotel room and entered, taking the time to shed some of his layers so he would be more comfortable before eating his meal. After dinner, he got ready for bed and climbed into it. Pain filled his heart, as if that final act had closed the chapter on what should have been. What had he missed? What had gone wrong?
Jason did his best to sleep that night, but all he wanted to do was cry. All the excitement, all the hope, all the promise yesterday had held was gone. Tomorrow he would be leaving this place to go back home, the same person the one who had driven here. There would be no beautiful bride to accompany him; there would be no promise of a future wedding or of the shift into the next phase of his life. He was still just as single as he had been when he left home, only now he was a few thousand dollars poorer with nothing to show for it.
In the morning, he packed up his things and checked out of the hotel to start the long drive home. Part of him wanted to just drive somewhere else, anywhere where he wouldn’t have to face the reality of what he was returning home to. But where would he go? There were people waiting for him to return, other obligations he needed to get back to. So Jason shifted into drive and eased his truck out onto the road.
Photo by Drew Rae on Pexels.com
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The Weekly Parable 
Is this perhaps Part 1 of a two-part parable? The ending is so disappointing. Is there more to this story? Or is the lesson perhaps that we have to keep going even when what we think should happen doesn’t happen?
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