A change of winds.

I cast my mind back many years to a time and place that is very different to where I am now. Back then I was wild and senseless, Wild in that my feelings would persuade me in the brief moments to do rash things and senseless, in that I often didn't have then sense to control myself in bad things and lacked motivation to do rightly. After this length of time in wild surroundings to which I displayed a massive amount of indifference to all around me I was about to learn a lesson that would change me forever. On reflection, small changes happen daily, too numerous and too meaningless to be remembered - but all important in making who we are. Big changes often involve a change in thought and habit. Now I hate the beach, and fail to see the attraction of it that westerners have with it. The sand is coarse and grating on my feet, often getting into my shoes and thus inside the house - usually rubs raw on my foot causing sores. The waves make me feel uneasy and I can't find enjoyment in perpetual bombardment, which rakes the aforementioned sand. Jellyfish, Coral, Sharks, Rocks are all hazards common to most oceans. Then there is the wind, which blows from the South West constantly during the main moonson - which seems to just blow sand in your face when its not raining, or hearlds in bad weather. All this makes it unusual for me to be there. It was about 10pm, and the fishermen had all gone to their huts - the showers that had formed during the day over the hills, had blown over and the horizon of the sea was filled with distant thunderstorms. The wind wasn't particularly strong either. I was as the beach with a few friends, which we had earlier played volleyball and cricket. While I was looking at the distant thunderstorms, with the moon glowing overhead and the music from a make shift baila band a few 100 meters way - a friend came up and whisphered 6 words into my ear from an old song. "Hard times come again no more". I turned around a looked at my friend and cried. Life had indeed been very hard towards me. He had no idea what I had been through. He, thinking that he had upset me, recoiled and left for the night - but his words sounded like a promise from life itself. I stood on the beach and looked out and watch for another 30 minutes, before sleeping myself. Little at the time did I know how right he would be for now the winds of life were changing. My friend was correct, because from that day on - compared to the rest of my short life, those hard days have not come back. I had finally learnt an important lesson in life from an unlikely source, and without doubt had saved my life from self-destruction. The lesson being, "The bitter fruit when tender, The sweet fruit when ripe"