Chasing Colors

 

            Alexey was thirty years old and the company’s most successful stockbroker to date. Profiting north of 1.2 million the previous year, he was aiming for two the current year and was, much to his delight, on track to meet that goal. Stepping in the corporate elevator on the 17th floor, he admired himself in the mirrored wall and marveled at just how handsome he was. “I don’t blame Narcissus a bit,” he thought, “when a guy’s got it, he’s got it.”

              The elevator stopped at the 9th floor and Cassandra stepped in and stood next to him. “Hello, Alexey,” she said with a smile. “Got any plans this weekend?”

              Even though he could have any woman he wanted, his heart always beat faster when Cassandra spoke to him. 

              “Actually,” he said, “I’m taking a couple extra days off at the start of next week, so I’ll get a long weekend.”

              “So, the question still stands, do you have any plans this weekend?” she asked again.

              That was one thing that he really liked about her. She was not afraid to speak things straight. She was strong and opinionated and feared no man. “So, to answer your question, yes, I’m taking a short trip to Greece. I fly out Friday night.”

              “Greece? Cool,” she said. “So, I’ll see you on Wednesday then? Have a good time Alexey.” And with that the elevator doors slid open, and she walked out, with Alexey staring at her backside. 

              “Uh, bye, Cassandra,” Alexey croaked out, “see you Wednesday.”

              Exiting the building and climbing into his Bentley, he drove home with Cassandra on his mind. As he passed through downtown, he, on a whim, pulled to the curb and sat watching people. “So many people,” he thought. “I wonder if any of them are as smart and as talented as I am. I can almost guarantee that none of them are as rich as I am.”

              He got out of his car and stepped onto the sidewalk, leaning against the hood with his arms folded. It was then that he saw the old man, sitting cross legged on the sidewalk against a half wall in front of a jewelry store. The man sat, motionless, his eyes closed, and his hands folded in his lap, smiling.

              “Well, that’s odd,” Alexey thought to himself. The man seemed to be doing nothing and he certainly wasn’t begging, for he had no cup in front of him and he had no interaction with those passing by. He continued to watch him and then the man suddenly opened his eyes and looked directly at him.  Standing up, the man walked over and shook his hand.

              “Hello Alexey,” he said. “Is everything okay?”

              “Uh… how do you know my name?” he asked.

              “It would be very difficult to explain and honestly, I don’t think you could understand anyway. I know you are a very intelligent and talented man, but this is something different altogether.”

              “Oh really,” Alexey answered. 

              “Yes, I only speak the truth,” the man answered. “You may have more money than you know what to do with and I have almost nothing. But I am at perfect peace and am in harmony with all creation. I believe that you cannot say the same. Tell me that I’m wrong.”

              The two men stood in silence looking at one another. The man was smiling, and Alexey felt empty. He knew the man was right, but he didn’t want to admit it. “Here,” the man said, handing him a slip of paper. “Go to this website, read what it has to say. If you want to find the kind of joy I’m talking about. Try out what they are saying. You may be surprised to see how different life can be.”

              “Goodbye Alexey,” the man said as he turned and walked away.

              Sitting at his desk later that evening, he pulled the slip of paper from his pocket and typed in the address. “Well, damn, that’s weird,” he thought. “What are the odds of that?” Staring at the screen, he saw that this organization was based in Greece only minutes from the hotel at which he had reservations for that weekend. “Well, I guess I’ll add that to my itinerary Saturday.”

              As he sat on the plane on his return flight, he tried to piece together all that had happened in the last four days. “There is no logical explanation for any of this,” he thought. “There is no way that old guy could have known my name. There is no way he could have known that I was going to Greece and there is no way that the other old guys at that weird little business could have known anything about me.”

              He sat thinking about the peace these men emanated. He had never seen such happiness and contentment in his life and he certainly had never felt like that before. Closing his eyes, he tried some of the techniques the old men had talked about and he could feel the stress in his neck melting away. 

              On the walk through the airport and on the drive home, he could think of nothing but the poverty in which these men lived but the absolute peace and contentment they possessed. Standing in the midst of his living room surrounded by beauty and opulence, he couldn't help but feel shallow and selfish. Pulling a blanket from the closet, he spread it out in the middle of the living room, the hardest surface he could find, granite. “If old guys can do it, so can I,” he told himself.

              A decade had passed, and Alexey found himself standing in the same place that he had first met the old man on the sidewalk.

              “Hello Alexey,” he heard from behind him. The old man had come up behind him. “I see that you changed your path. This is very good. The life that you have ahead of you will be more amazing than anything you could’ve ever imagined.”

              “Oh, I know that already,” he answered. “I’ve begun to embrace your way of life for the last ten years now and I think I’m beginning to understand.”

              Another decade had passed, and Alexey stepped out of his front door to a world he didn’t understand. Patches of color hung around every object and seemed to shift with his attention and interaction. Pulling out his phone, he called his boss. “Jerry, yeah, it’s Alexey. I think I’m going to take the day off today. Sorry for the late notice, but I’ve got this incredible urge just to get away for the day. Thanks, see you tomorrow.”

              Slipping back inside, he changed into his workout gear and began to walk around the city, observing the colors. It was then that he began to notice the colors surrounding people as well. The more he interacted and focused on the colors, the more he came to understand them. Calling into work the next day as well, he began to make changes in the colors by his focus. Kind words and friendly interaction seemed to change the blacks and grays to lighter shades. He began to notice as well that he could shift the colors around and group them, pushing the darkness away.

              Now he understood. Sitting down at his desk that evening, he drafted his letter of resignation and emailed it to his boss. Alexey now had a new focus in life. His former life had given him this opportunity and making a radical change in his lifestyle would allow for the freedom to live on his savings for the next two hundred years. His days were spent manipulating colors and his nights were spent in meditation and a small amount of sleep.

              Seven months had passed and as he sat eating breakfast, a knock sounded on his door. Pulling it open, he saw no one but only an envelope pressed into the space between the glass and the frame. “Alexey,” it read, “your change in lifestyle has not only changed you but it is changing the world as well. Continue on your path and you will see wonderful things take place.”

There was no signature or return address. Just a handmade envelope sealed with a dab of wax.

              “Wow, wax,” he thought. “What is this? The Middle Ages?” Knowing full well the sender, he could only feel encouraged and wondered what was next to come. 

              The next day, another letter arrived but this one contained a newspaper clipping of a boy inexplicably recovering from cancer. The next day, a clipping of a terrible high-rise fire from which all the occupants escaped. The next day told news of a hurricane that suddenly changed course and bypassed an entire town, sparing thousands.

              Opening the door at the same time the next day, he found nothing. “I think I get it now,” he thought. Walking downtown, he sat on the sidewalk and leaned against a brick wall in front of a jewelry store and closed his eyes. As he opened them, he saw a man in an expensive suit leaning against his sports car.

              Standing up, he approached the man. “Hello Roger, is everything all right?”