The Sacred Essence

Daily I had to go down from my home on the mountain to the temple in the valley, it was the best school. People traveled to learn in it. Our temple had the wisest priests, it graduated generations of wise men.

That's why I was sent to learn in this temple, although our village custom forbids us from going and living in the valley, but I got an acceptance to learn in this temple.

my mum always told me: "those who live on the mountains can't accept the easy living of the valley"
I always hated this sentence, why shouldnt we live like the rest of people. Walking daily up and down on the mountain was very exhausting.
My mum told me: "the sacred essence is a gift to those who tasted the easiness of living in the valley and refused it."
On every day among going up and down, the only thing I kept in my mind was the sacred essence.

"mum what is the sacred essence?" I asked
But she never answered, she only smiled a big smile which meant "trust me, it worth all the pain."

I am writing this in my house on the river side, I left the mountain, I married the most amazing girl in the valley, I met her in the temple and her wisdom charmed me.
"mum, I think I am in love" I told my mother one day.
Her face turned white, but she kept her smile.
After i got my first son, I went up the mountain to let my mother see him, I got very tired, it seemed that I was no longer fit enough to go up and down the mountain.

"this is your grandson, mum"
She hold him and she kissed him on his forehead, she shed a tear, "he is a valley boy isn't he!"
"he is my son, he is a mountain boy"
"no son, it is not a given name, it is a characteristic, remember you used to get up and down the mountain daily, can you now"
"I can't"

I remembered this while looking at the moon high in the sky, beside the top of the mountains.

Asking myself what could be the sacred essence..