Final Approach

The wind whipped passed him as he fell ever faster through the air.

There was no panic in him; no sense of dread or doom at his impending fate, only a calm that radiated from him as he travelled rapidly on his descent.

All around him was a sea of blue with wisps of white clouds that he occasionally passed through; gaining momentum as he picked up more mass.

Blurrily, the vast expanse of land below began to take up more of his field of view as he fell tumbling further and further; over and over, down and down.

The cracked and arid brown of the landscape below was in stark contrast to the deep, azure blue of the sky above.

Yet, even as the ground drew nearer, he was filled only with a serene sense of being at peace; at peace with the air, the ground, all that surrounded him. For he was not rushing toward oblivion, but to his purpose; to fulfill the destiny that he had been given.

It was a satisfying feeling to know, and to be able to achieve one's destiny, and for that, he was truly joyful that his existence would mean something.

If only a tiny something.

Closer still, the land neared and he could at last make out his ultimate destination. His goal within sight, he was then filled with a sense of pride; a pleasure that filled him to the point of bursting.

On his final approach, turning once more to face the sea of blue above, he saw the multitude of his brethren in close pursuit, filling the sky on their own journey toward the dry desert below.

There was only happiness as the falling drop of rain splashed upon the prickly surface of the tall cactus that stood solemnly in the seemingly unending New Mexican desert.

The droplet's life-giving moisture absorbed into the cactus' tough, but porous bark; into its nearly depleted reservoirs of water stored within its cavernous bulk.

Soon after, more and more drops fell upon the dehydrated cactus and parched earth, darkening their surface with much needed rain as the clouds high in the sky above burst forth with their payload.

The destinies of millions fulfilled in a short, afternoon shower.