ACT 1
1. Once upon a time... Lived Arlo, a passionate but often busy Photographer. Arlo loved spending time with his family, especially his wife, Fay, daughter, Maria, and grandfather, Pop.

Arlo began to grow anxious as the years went by because a lot of his family had grown old and passed away. He missed the days of big family dinners and get-togethers and he would reminisce about them from time to time. When he would look at Pop he would be reminded of how time is something we can’t slow down or stop. This caused him to become increasingly worried about Pop, who had lived a long life but started to develop health issues that caused him to go to the doctor more frequently.

Most days, Pop loved to reminisce about old adventures he and Arlo used to go on when he was younger. He would tell his granddaughter, Maria, “If only I were young again, I would go out on more adventures with you, like I used to with your dad.” But nowadays there is little time for adventures.

2. Every day… Arlo was pretty busy. He would go out and take photos of different events around the city. Trying to meet work deadlines while spending time with his family was tough to balance, especially on days when Maria and Pop would want to go out on an adventure.

3. Until one day... Arlo took Maria and Pop out on a photo shoot in the city. After a long and fun afternoon of site seeing, Pop suddenly disappeared… Arlo and Maria were terrified! Where did he go? After hours of searching, they finally found him sitting in the car. They asked him where he went, but his answer was confusing. He said he went to a tropical paradise. Arlo was scratching his head because he didn't believe he could go to a tropical paradise and come back so quickly or that one even existed, but nevertheless, they were glad he was ok as they went back home.


ACT 2
4. Because of that... A few weeks later, Arlo started to get even more worried because Pop began to disappear more frequently. Arlo would go looking for him but could never find where he would wander off to. Arlo was growing frustrated over the situation because his constant search for Pop was causing a conflict with his work schedule. He just wanted things to go back to normal. He felt the strain of work and family life more than ever.

5. Because of that… Arlo noticed Pop would speak about this new place he visited more often, But Arlo didn’t believe him. He would say, “Pop, I just think you were dreaming of this place. It’s not real”, but Pop was sure they were.

6. Because of that... One day, during one of Arlo and Pop's weekend car rides, Arlo was talking to Pop and noticed that he was beginning to doze off. Then something strange happened... The car began to shake and a bright burst of light appeared in front of them. Arlo tried to swerve away from it, but he couldn't escape it. The car was pulled into some kind of portal. The portal seemed to open as Pop fell asleep. When they made it to the other side, Arlo noticed that this place looked foreign but somehow familiar. This new world looked like one of the places Pop told him about. Arlo thought that he was dreaming. It was a world of light and beauty. All of earth's seasons seemed to coexist at the same time, across a seemingly vast, neverending landscape. As Arlo looked around in wonder, he slowly began to panic... He didn't see Pop anywhere!

As he looked for Pop, he came across a man who looked strangely familiar. He asked the gentleman if he had seen an elderly man wandering around, but the man just looked at him and smiled, "It's me he said", It was Pop! Except in this new world, he looked different, he was youthful again. They embraced and Pop said, "Are you ready to go on an adventure!" As they explored the beautiful new world, Pop explained all he had learned from his time there. They spent months in this world that only seemed like seconds on earth. The wonder and awe reminded Arlo of when he and Pop would go on adventures when he was younger.


ACT 3
7. Until finally...Arlo noticed that pop seemed a bit worried like he had something on his mind. He finally mustered up the courage to tell Arlo the reason he started disappearing into the portals when he fell asleep… Sadly, it was because his life on earth was slowly disappearing. He was being called home to paradise, like all his family before him.

Arlo broke down in tears… he was happy to see how radiant and youthful Pop had become, but extremely sad and scared at the thought of losing him. Pop sat down next to Arlo and explained the beautiful, cyclical nature of life. How the job of an elder is to prepare the coming generation so they can continue to build a strong, lasting family bond after they move on to the next life. As Arlo listened, he started to remember and see the moments of joy and wisdom that Pop had given him over the years. When Pop finished speaking, he hugged Arlo and whispered to him, “Don't worry about anything, I’ll always be by your side… especially when you find yourself on a good adventure.”

8. And ever since then… Arlo learned that life is cyclical. It leaves this world and soon after comes into it. It doesn’t matter how long you live but how fully you lived. You have to slow down and appreciate the moments you share with people. And now, when never Arlo feels the pressure of the world coming down on him… He knows Pop is right there with him, along for the ride.


The moral of the story is…Appreciate the special moments and bonds that you have in your life. It’s all about the journey. The destination will come in time…