The Parable of the Child Who Was Done Playing

One day while teaching, Josh was asked, ”Teacher, what do you do on the days when the news is not newsworthy, the entertainment isn’t entertaining, and the sun sets too early?”

Josh spoke thus:

A child was sitting in a playground looking at the sky.  An adult asked the child why the child was looking at the sky.

“I’m done playing,” the child said, “Playing only leads to the end of play, and the end of play makes me too unhappy.”

The adult turned and walked home.  At home, the adult watched a comedy program on the television.  The adult didn’t laugh at the comedy program.  The adult’s partner asked the adult why the adult wasn’t laughing.

“I’m done with laughing,” the adult said, “Laughing only leads to the end of laughter, and the end of laughter makes me too unhappy.”

The adult’s partner sat to write a text message to the adult’s partner’s parent.  The adult’s partner wrote, “I’m done with words.  Words only lead to the end of words, and the end of words makes me too unhappy.”

The parent read the text message and walked out of the tavern where the parent had been sitting with an aging dinner partner.

“I’m done with friendship,” the parent said to the parent’s aging dinner partner, “Friendship only leads to the end of friendship, and the end of friendship makes me too unhappy.”

The parent’s aging dinner partner looked around the tavern, looked at the seat where the parent had been sitting and ordered a strong drink.

“I’m done with loving,” the aging dinner partner said to the waiter, “Loving only leads to the end of loving, and the end of loving makes me too unhappy.”

The waiter looked at the aging dinner partner, walked behind the bar and looked out the window at the bright red sunset.

“I’m done with beauty,” the waiter said to the attractive bartender, “Beauty only leads to the end of beauty, and the end of beauty makes me too unhappy.”

The attractive bartender left the tavern and walked homeward through the local cemetery.

“I’m done with living,” the attractive bartender said to a passing musician, “Living only leads to the end of living, and the end of living makes me too unhappy.”

The musician watched the bartender walk away, took out a flute and sat on a swing in the playground.

“I’m done with music,” the musician said to a child looking at the sky.  

The child smiled at the musician and hummed a tune the musician recognized.  The musician played the tune on the flute. The child sat on the swing next to the musician and began to tend to a twig as if it were a person.