Dare, if you will

©Jean L. Hays

“If you don’t ask, you’ll never know”. Christian sighed. He was playing restlessly with his fingers. It was obvious agitation had the better of him. He stood silent staring at the old warehouse.

“Well, go on, will you? You won’t know unless you go for it”. His friend was urging him forward but he wouldn’t move.

For someone with so much ambition, he scared too easily.

“Fine, I’ll go and ask”, but as soon as the threat became real, Christian woke up and marched inside.

It turns out the warehouse was for rent after all. It was his first atelier.

Also part of Friday Fictioneers

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In search of treasures

Santiago was in search of a treasure. Like all people, he was trying to find his place in this world. He read a lot and tried to travel even more. He longed to find where he belonged and what his purpose was. He was certain he had something exceptional to do.

But not every treasure is silver and gold. It took him a while to realise it.

For after travelling for years alone through sun, rain and snow, in lands that where not so welcoming, meeting all sorts of persons and seeing things he never even dreamt of, all he finally looked forward to was returning home. To a home that would be surrounded by the person who had stolen his heart from the very first time they set eyes on each other. Because life has a strange way of sending us signs for things that should happen. Falling in love is one of the strongest ones. And if you’re strong enough to fight for it, you are bound to find something amazing.

Santiago acknowledged after years of searching that his treasure was not material things. It was the knowledge and experience he had accumulated during his travels. It was the way his mind opened up and his spirit liberated. It was the push he felt inside him to constantly evolve, to want to become better for himself and those around him. It was the urge to become the exceptional person he believed he could be.

Treasures are first and foremost located in our hearts. We just need to first open our minds and souls to realise it.

 

Also part of Daily Prompt: Exceptional

The agony inside

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you,” said Maya Angelou. We all hold a story within that we are yearning to unleash. It is the need to express our thoughts, our emotions, our dreams and our ambitions. To feel that we are supported and encouraged in every way.

We have become so used to valuing appreciation by the number of “likes” we receive on social media, by the “sympathy count” of our digital existence. But does this really matter? There are so many voices nowadays out there, that the world seems to be a cacophony of opinions – about anything and everything, no matter how important or how meaningless these are. Everyone has the right to be heard, but not many listen. So, if you are certain of the power of your own words, and by the belief that they do touch people anyway, making a difference, isn’t that more important? Isn’t that the point of it all?

The world will change, they say, one person at a time. And as James Baldwin wrote: “A country is only as good… only as strong as the people who make it up and the country turns into what the people want it to become…We made the world we’re living in and we have to make it over.”

It is a great strength to feel something so deeply that it becomes a passion. And you should never underestimate the power of such an emotion. Because it takes more than passion to follow your dreams. It takes courage too. And the confidence not to underestimate your potential. You can do more than you think. And you can reach further than you see. You just have to believe it too. And feel it with all your heart.

Like Baldwin adds, the “collision between one’s image of oneself and what one actually is is always very painful and there are two things you can do about it, you can meet the collision head-on and try and become what you really are or you can retreat and try to remain what you thought you were, which is a fantasy, in which you will certainly perish”.

There are too many inspirational sayings rampant, stating that if you want something, go do it. Most are right. Don’t tell people your dreams. Show them. And certainly never underestimate the determination of a quiet person. One who keeps an untold story agonizingly locked inside.

 

Also part of Daily Prompt: Underestimate

Snowy mistletoe

The first snowflakes had hit the ground early at dew point. He was sleeping when they arrived. But that was the best surprise.

When he woke up, a white velvet carpet was awaiting him outside his window. The door needed a hard shove in order to open.

And then, as the frozen air slammed his face, it hit him. It was mid December. That season when everything suddenly seems so much nicer, so much more peaceful, more wonderful. The sparkling lights appeared even more brightly coloured now with the snowy background. People were more cheerful and smiles were abundant. It didn’t matter that it was so cold.

The only thing that mattered was that another year was slowly exiting, and everyone was striving to account for everything that had passed during these 12 months. It had to be good, so that the next ones would be even better and more fruitful.

It is the time when dreams are revived, ambitions reinvigorated, and emotions rekindled.

So when he saw the bright red mistletoe gleaming under the snowflakes on his frontfoor, he consciously knew that there will always be a light shining no matter how dark it gets. Surviving, no matter the weather.

Meltdown

It’s always there in the shadows. Looming in the cupboard and in the drawers. In the places you least expect it to be. It takes the slightest bit for it to sneak up on you. But when it does, it covers you tighter than the black cape that wraps Batman in the midst of the night. Some find it after the second bottle of wine, some after a nervous breakdown, others during a breakup, but more often than not, it is there in the simplest and smallest of things, waiting to be noticed.

Parker was a quite boy. He was the smartest in his class all through college. He grew up to become a charming young successful professional, and career-wise he had a lot of potential. He lived up to and beyond the expectations of his superiors and everyone praised the fantastic work he did.

Then he went home.

He went home to an empty house. Not even the cat would stay there because it was so cold, as he was at work all day. He ordered in food or picked it up on the way home, never having the time or energy to cook something on his own. He was in a town where there was nothing much to do either and all his college friends where someplace else. He was the only one who had returned to his hometown. And he disliked this, more than he hated the burnt mushrooms on his pizza.

Parker’s life had become nothing more than work and home. And although he enjoyed the flexibility of sometimes working from home, he chose not to. Because no matter how many electronic messages he exchanged with tens of colleagues, not leaving the house meant he had absolutely no physical contact with anyone. Not even the aforementioned cat. The isolation he already had was more than enough.

His job was that of a copywriter. And that did not mean copying other people’s writing. It meant coming up with inspiring and unique ideas that could be used in, for example, advertising a company or product. And Parker was great at that. He had a creative mind, mainly because he dreamt a lot, and could find inspiration in the slightest of things. To him doing this was as easy as breathing. Until it stopped. Being easy that is.

Because it hit him.

It came when he least expected it. It was triggered by the tiredness, the spying on others through their social media accounts, the exasperation of being stuck here when everyone else was seemingly living their lives and doing the things he wanted to do, the not having anyone to follow away, the not being able to fully indulge in a head-over-heels love affair, the simple realization that he had not accomplished half the things he had dreamt of doing by now.

That is when the meltdown hit him. And it struck hard. This time was worse than when he finished college and didn’t know what to do. It was worse than running out of Nutella at midnight on a weekday while studying for a midterm, and even worse than the sobbing that ensues a depressing Gilmore Girls episode. This time it was painful. Because, this time Parker did not want to do anything. At all. He did not leave his home for two weeks, at least. The cat was forced to come over and see if he still existed.

And that is when he realized he would do something to change things. Because he realized that even his cat had moved on, when he saw that someone else had put a collar on it. That was the trigger to get up and do something.

He packed up a suitcase and left.

He would go to the airport and fly out on the first attractive destination he would find. He saw it done in movies so many times. Thinking practical and realistic all this time never got him anywhere anyway, so why not take a risk?

He would start afresh somewhere new. All he had to do was accept the challenge. And he was more than ready to do so.

What point was there anyway to keep on dreaming, if he would never even try to accomplish them? Otherwise, they would just remain that. Dreams. Unfulfilled.

 

Also part of Daily Prompt: All Grown Up

The unreachable star

Ever since Joe was a child, he knew what he wanted to do and was determined to accomplish it. He spent days and nights looking out of his window gazing over the hill at that star that shone so brightly it was visible even during the day. It seemed so unique, so magnificent, that he was sure there was something extraordinary about it. If he could just get closer to it, he might figure out what it was.

When he became of age, Joe set off to climb the hill. He didn’t know how long it would take, as the hill turned out to be a mountain once he got closer to it. It’s funny how distance is so deceiving, he thought; it makes it all seem smaller and closer than they truly are. Nonetheless, Joe did not lose hope. He wanted to reach the star and made it his ultimate purpose.

As he climbed the mountain, setting his own pace, he came across little animals whom he befriended as much as possible, rare flowers and rural beauties. They were all things he had never seen before and that made them even more special. Days passed and Joe was still climbing. He could see he was quite high now, as the view of the town below became spectacular. The wind was also getting colder as he climbed and he could sense the oxygen levels dropping.

One night, he almost froze, but just before the crack of dawn he woke up staring into two big blue eyes. Her name was Jill. She lived in the mountains and had golden hair, which she had tied into two dreadlocks either side of her small round head. She was mesmerizing, kind and sweet and had saved him from freezing. The blanket she had covered him with was made out of sheepskin and she had also brought warm soup in a natural flask. Her family knew how to survive in the mountains, and so did she.

It wasn’t long after he described his quest that Jill announced she would accompany him. Joe was delighted. After all some company was more than welcome, and he could not have asked for anything better than this.

More days passed and these probably turned into months too. But the mountain top still seemed far away. Jill began to lose hope, something she said she rarely ever did. Joe tried as much as possible to console and revive the feeling of excitement he had seen in her eyes when he first described his mission. But to no avail. Jill became sick and decided she could no longer carry on. She turned away with tears in her eyes as she began her descent back home. Joe was once again left alone.

The star was shining brighter than ever.

It may have been a month, it may have been a year. Joe finally reached the summit. The view from up there was incomparable to anything he had ever seen. He was literally standing on top of the world – at least the one he knew about. It was amazing, and he had managed to reach his destination. He was proud of his accomplishment. Until the time he looked up.

The star was still far away. And it even seemed to be at the top of the adjacent mountain. Joe could still not discern what made it glow so brightly and so exquisitely. Perhaps he should go and climb the other mountain now. He thought about all he had learned and experienced during his ascend. He had witnessed more natural wonders and had learned more about survival and personal quests than most people would manage in a lifetime. Yet now the only way forward was down. So he sighed, and began his descend. Maybe the answers would be found there.

As he slowly climbed back down the mountain, he kept looking back and staring at the star shining behind him. What was the lesson to be gained out of all this? he thought. And then it struck him. No matter how far you climb, some things are always unreachable. It is the journey that will teach you the lesson. Yet it is always disappointing to realize that your initial goal cannot be accomplished. Sometimes, though, all you can do is go and start over, hoping that this time you will find a target closer to your reach.

 

Also part of Daily Prompt: Envelope Pushers

Welcome to the Middle Ages, 2013

So, what seems to be the biggest problem during this past decade?

Is it famine?

Is it poverty?

Or is it politicians?

Is it empty promises that lead to nothing? Austerity policies pushing for more cuts, lower wages, and a soaring unemployment that simply cannot be controlled?

It’s all of the above. It’s the bad handling of policies by a group of people whose only concern was to take care of their own lives. And now, leaders from all over the world are gathering every so often, in one bustling city or another, in order to, as they proclaim “find ways to combat” youth unemployment, or the recession, or the financial crisis in general.

What no one admits though is that we live in a 21^st century, that all the more looks like the Middle Ages. In order to survive, you have to already have money. You have to have a financial capital behind you so that you can go out and look for a job, and afford to take on two, three, even five internships at minimal (or even absent) pay, before landing a full-time job.

You have to have the professional experience and skills for permanent employment simply in order to get an unpaid traineeship.

And what’s worse: everyone expects you to be grateful for it. For simply offering you the experience. Or simply because you have a job – no matter how badly paid that is, how many hours you work, how exploited you are.

We live in an era were only the wealthy survive. The middle class does not exist. And the lower ranks are ignored.

We live in a society where in the midst of an economic crisis and in a state on the verge of default, bankers and civil servants have the audacity to demand bonuses and higher wages, when the private sector employees are sacked without even compensation.

And then, the very people whose debauchery and later recipe of austerity led to this very situation, are the ones who declare that unemployment will be reversed if the same policies continue, with a few structural reforms for good measure. Reforms that further lower people’s living standards.

People ruling, or rather, the ruling elite, live in their own gilded towers, in a bubble. They fail to understand the concerns of the “ordinary folk”. They fail to walk in their shoes, because they have elevated themselves so far up that they have lost touch with it all. And if a politician has no contact with his/her “polis”, the people who elected him/her, then s/he loses all credibility. And all you have out there is just another selfish “official” only aspiring for more (personal) power.