I parked in an open spot and walked towards the door.
There were no signs. There was nothing there that I could hang my desire on. Why was I here? What was I drawn to?
I left the questions for another time. I stood at the doorway and took one long breath. My agile mind could think of hundred reasons not to walk through it, but I never lent them my voice. I found myself on the other side.
The room was bright. It was a happy room that instantly brought me relief though I did not know why.
The walls were clad with large photographs but there was no central theme. They were not vacation posters though some were taken in beautiful locations, yet others taken in an office or a home.
Some held individuals and others with a family or group of individuals having no connection that I could see.
As I perused the confusing sight before me, a woman appeared. Whether she was young or old, I could not tell. My manners forgotten; a sense of urgency took hold of me.
“What do you do here?” I asked.
Without so much as a thought, she replied immediately, “we help people stretch.”
I knew the word but could not place its meaning in the context I stood in. Again, my shyness dropped away for a boldness I was not familiar with.
I studied the photos on the wall: an Olympic silver medalist, a man at the stock market opening bell, an older woman surrounded by books.
Seeing no consistent theme, my mind struggled. “What are these pictures of?” I asked.
“People that have stretched. They went beyond what they originally set as goals for themselves,” my new guide replied.
My curiosity questioned and piqued, “a silver medalist went beyond?”
Again, the guide replied without thinking, “Yes, she wanted to be good enough to be in the Olympics. When she stretched, she found she had the courage and determination to win a silver medal.”
She continued, “The man, at the opening bell, wanted to be a successful executive. But when he stretched, he discovered he had the wisdom and experience to take his own company public.”
And the older woman surrounded by books? My skepticism screamed out loud, but no words came out. As if the thought was heard, the guide replied, “She was illiterate. When she stretched, she unveiled her creativity and passion for writing books.”
I surveyed the room again and a theme emerged. In each photo, the individuals stood tall and strong. Their faces held the deepest expression of pride.
“You are correct. Stretching takes a goal that you set for self and takes it one, two, or three more steps ahead. It’s pushing to a limit where you no longer recognize yourself because the new you is ahead of its time. Yet you can access it by extending a bridge… of belief, faith, and fortitude.”
As I pondered this newfound knowledge, I turned and saw an empty frame.
Why is this frame empty? I had given up speaking, but I knew my words were heard.
It is free for the next person that has a bigger vision of themselves, she told me in silence.
How will you know who they are? I wondered.
She answered in a wave that pulled me closer. I felt an inner knowing and a rush of awareness surround me.
You see, everyone normally walks by this storefront. But the one who notices the store, and then notices the empty frame, that’s the one who knows they’re destined for something bigger. They’re drawn to it. How, after all, did you get here?
~ Roopal Badheka
Note to Readers: If you were compelled to read this story, you are the “I” in it. Take a deep breath and let that resonate in you. And then go fill that picture frame with an image you can imagine at the deepest level of yourself.
I started this week wanting to write a blog about stretch goals but this story wrote itself instead. Hopefully it conveyed the point better than any non-fiction could. Thank you for reading it.