Mutual desire

© Lisa Fox

“The moral from the story of Rapunzel is that if there is a will from both sides, a way will always be found”.

She smiled in that sweet mischievous way of hers.

He looked in her eyes, trying not to crack a grin.

“But there is more to that, no?”

“Just cling on to this part, though”, she insisted.

“It’s clearly a concept of finding a solution out of a mutual desire for ensuring each other’s company”.

Her eloquence was one of the things that he admired about her, and which drew him further into falling in love with her.

Also part of Friday Fictioneers

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The answers in silence

©MCD_Athens

How many hours do we spend worrying about things we can’t control, suffering more in imagination than in reality, drawing conclusions out of the slightest of things?

The truth is, we cause our own anxiety by the thoughts that race in our head. What if we could pace those contemplations? What if we could in some way halt them and focus our energy on something mentally healthier and more productive?

Humans are created for greatness – to do things, not be stagnant. We hold ourselves back by the constant anguish that things will go wrong.

And when the chaos becomes too much to handle we seek to escape in nature, in trails that lead to silence.

Simply to acknowledge that silence is some form of answer. Sometimes not getting what you expect is also a way of realising what you deserve, what you’re truly after, what you profoundly want. There is always a way. And there is always time. As long as there is the deep desire to find both.

The most important element

There are four natural elements: air, fire, water and earth. They are mentioned from the zodiac signs, to the Planeteers.

What we tend to forget is that these are within us – our thoughts, passion, emotions, life, but most important of all is our heart; our desire.

Also part of Weekend Writing Prompt #199

Desire and action

©MCD

It was snowing when he set foot outdoors. If it was up to him, he wouldn’t have, but his mother forced him to go out in search of the required groceries for lunch. He was the sort of person who always found excuses not to do something. He would constantly say he wanted to but it was simply not possible because of a series of pretexts he would cough up at the moment.

Procrastinating was Tommy’s expertise. But as he matured, he found that there were things you could simply not postpone. And the less you did, the more reliable you would become and the better status you would obtain as a person and as a character.

But the most memorable lesson, he learnt in a cabin in the woods that day he went off-track.

It was a wooden cabin below the snowy mountains. Adjacent was a lake in which two magnificent swans were found. It seemed almost mythical. He approached in hope it would offer solace from the extreme cold.

Above the front door there was a sign that read “When there’s a will there’s a way, when there’s none there’s delay”.  He knocked on the door and waited. Then he knocked again. There was no response.

After a while, as his hands began to turn numb from the cold, he decided to search for a back door.

There was one with an “entry” sign above.

Inside was a carpenter. One of the type he had only read about in storybooks.

“It took you long enough,” he told Tommy as he led him to a seat near the blaring fireplace and offered him a cup of steaming hot tea.

 Tommy looked perplexed.

“Had you figured out the meaning of the sign sooner, your hands wouldn’t have turned so pale from the frostbite,” the carpenter explained.

“Simply stating your desire or intention to do something does not make it real. It’s when you act upon it that it happens. And that is what matters. Because others can’t see your intentions, they can only judge you by your actions”.

Tommy was beginning to understand. This meeting was not by chance. In fact, he had never seen this cabin in this part of the valley before.

“Stop denying the fact that you’re delaying things. Or simply not doing them. The time to act is now, not later. You don’t know what will happen later on. If you can do something now, why are you waiting? What for? There is always time to do something important. To show others you care.  If you can act, and if you’re going to use your intention in your defence later on, why procrastinate? If it is significant, you do it. That is what others will see. And what matters most, is what you show”.

Tommy drank his last sip and was ready to leave.

There was nothing he could say. After all, this meeting was not for him to speak, but to listen.

“Character is built on the strength of your actions”, he heard the carpenter say as he waved him goodbye.

Can’t or won’t

A principle element in education is rejecting the saying “I can’t”. In fact, we are drawn to believe that “there is no can’t, but rather won’t”. That it is not a matter of not being able to do something, but of not having the desire to.

As such, the difference between can not and will not is of physically being incapable of and of simply not wanting to.

We are brought up to be certain that “can is an attitude”. It is like Star Wars’ Yoda said “Do or do not. There is no try”.

It is true, that the level of success depends on a person’s determination, their willingness to keep trying, to change things, to do more, to persist into achieving something positive.

Dean Graziosi had said that “if you tell yourself you can’t, you won’t” and similarly, Henry Ford stated “if you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”

Maybe it is all a matter of mentality. But every time we say “I can’t” for something, we should consider how much of “I won’t” or “I don’t want to” lies within it.

The intruding spring

Henry woke up when a bed spring penetrated his mattress and scratched his knee calf. The sting was enough to make him jump out of bed. Then, he had to get up.

He wasn’t a morning person. Not everybody is. Despite the fact that he was well aware of the French saying that the world belongs to those who get up early (“le monde appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt”); he was more of a supporter of the Italian one that it is sweet to do nothing (“dolce far niente”).

This was one of those mornings when he’d rather stay in bed. Henry was the type of person who upon knowing that he had a list of things to do, could not find the urge to do any of them. Instead, he would find other things to do, making his list grow longer.

He was the person who would always find something to do. His problem wasn’t not having something to do, but rather never having enough time to do it. Sometimes even desire.

But today it was different. The intruding spring made him realise that sometimes it is better to get up early because you enjoy more of the day, particularly on mornings illuminated by sunlight. Plus, you often have the chance to spend more time with the people you love.

So despite the inappropriate wake-up call, the day would develop much better and by nightfall Henry would be glad he was pushed out of bed so early.

There is always a more positive side to everything; if you’re open-hearted enough to see it.

Wishing Well

The young boy looked into the well. The old man had told him it would only grant him one wish, so he should choose wisely.

Before uttering what he most wanted, the young boy had roamed the village and asked its residents what they would wish for.

There were those who said they would ask for more time.

But the young boy thought that those who wished for this were those who mismanaged the time already given to them.

There were those who would wish for more money.

But money, he thought, was a commodity of which more could always be earned.

There were others who would call for luck.

But that is something the boy thought could not be controlled – falling upon the right people, the right circumstances, the right opportunities. You just had to keep your eyes and mind open to recognising them.

Everyone asked for more of something.

The boy believed that you can work hard to achieve more. But all that requires one thing that is essential and irreplaceable – good health.

So if there were only one thing for which he could wish for, he would wish for that: for being healthy, to be able to realise your dreams, to show the necessary courage to go further, and to fulfil everything your heart desires.

The fish and the diver

The saying goes that time flies when you’re having fun. Many people can testify that time passes even faster in the summer. The days are longer and yet they always appear too short. And before you know it, summer has passed and a new season approaches.

The end of vacations leaves you with a sweet lust for more – a longing for a life of eternal holiday, carefree and away from anything that causes stress and white hair to appear.

A yearning to escape the “real” life, for something more…desirable.

But given the chance, would you truly do so? There always seems to be something pulling you back. A cautious realism fighting the idealistic dream.

And it instils within you a dilemma. What would you do if you were given the chance to change your life?

Here’s a short story on this:

There once was a young man who worked as a banker. He hated the fact that his job was same in same out. There was no excitement. Nothing that sparked the adrenaline in his body. Nothing at all like diving, which he loved and would do at every opportunity he got. He dreamed of a house by the sea, where he could spend endless hours in the water with his favourite sport. But the problem was the one thing he was now occupying his days with: money. If he followed his dream, he would soon be short of cash, and have no income whatsoever. It would be much harder finding a job as a diver than as a banker.

One day, in his diving expeditions, he saw a beautiful yellow-coloured fish swimming around him. He stood still and used his snorkelling gear to take a closer look. It was a fish that seemed as sleek as the clear waters that day. And as it reflected the rays of the sun it appeared to be sparkling. As if it was wearing a crown of diamonds. The fish was not afraid of him. Far from it. It even swam right up to him. And as the diver could not resist, he stretched out his hand as if to catch it.

The fish swam right into his palm instead of away from it.

Hauling it out of the water, the diver observed the fish closely. It appeared to be staring intently at him. As if it wanted to say something.

“You’re wondering what kind of a fish I am”, he suddenly heard a voice say.

“I’m enchanted. And I can change your life as you please.”

It was the fish that was speaking to him. It had a soothing feminine voice that suited its regal figure.

The diver gasped and almost dropped it back into the water. The fish was sitting still in his hand. Not gushing at all, like it would be expected from fish out of water.

“How? What? How…?” thought the dumbstruck diver.

“Here’s the issue,” said the fish. “You can either kiss me and I will turn into a princess and we may end up together. Or you may say the word and you will become a fish too, here with me, swimming freely for the rest of your days without a care in the world.”

The diver was flabbergasted. What do you say to that? Do you accept a princess and endure the hardships of supporting both of you, or do you abandon the human world for that of the life aquatic?

It was a tough decision to make. But in his heart he knew what he would choose…

What would you choose?