A Life that took everything and a day that never came
Marcus was 27 when he got married. He had a job at a local showroom as a salesperson. The money he earned was enough to fulfill the necessities of life, but could never uplift their living standard. One year later, his wife gave birth to twins. Marcus was happy and worried at the same time. He did not want their kids to struggle like him, as it was a terrible feeling.
A few years later, his friends suggested that he must study further as graduates had better career opportunities. They said it’s never too late to change something. Marcus also felt the same way since he knew that only money could help him give a good life to his loved ones.
“I must focus my attention on making money as that can change my life and the lives of my loved ones. Everything else could wait,” he said to himself.
The day he decided to study further, he knew that he must not let anything keep him from reaching his goals, which was to land with a lucrative job. He wanted to uplift the living standard of his family so they could lead a better life.
His wife and kids wanted to spend time with him but Marcus could not afford to do so since he had something else on his mind. He never even had time to sit with his family for dinner. Finally, the day came when he graduated with good scores and got a good job in a big organization where he had to work hard to prove his worth to his manager. He started working even harder. Everyone in his office was equally good so he could not afford to take it easy.
With time, he earned a lot of money and bought a new house with separate rooms for each family member. Kids finished their school and started going to college. The wife tried to spend some time with small household chores. Everything changed except for one thing, Marcus still had no time to spend with his family. Marcus continued to get promotions at work and climb the ladder. “He is someone who had given preference to his work and set new standards of success,” his employer once said.
Time went by. Kids got married and had their own dreams to follow. Marcus made some good investments, as he wanted to secure the future of his wife and kids. A few months later, Marcus got another promotion and became the manager. He had achieved his goals and made a lot of money for his wife and kids. One day, he decided that he would now shift his attention towards his family.
He went back home with the same thought but he did not know that his wife would leave him forever a few months later. She got a heart attack that took her life. Marcus cried his eyes out. He could not understand that his wife wanted him to make time for the family. His kids came to stay there with him for a week.
After a few days, Marcus found himself sitting all alone in a big house. His wife had already left him. His kids had no time for him. He was rich and had everything money could buy. All his life he struggled hard to give a good life to his family. What does a good life actually mean?
He never had time for his loved ones, now they had not timed for him. He had nothing but regrets. In addition, he ran after meaningful things and forgot that life was beautiful back then even without even a big pile of money.
God Always Gives You What You Need The Most
“You must make sure you come every day as that is the only condition for this job,” the boss said.
“Sir, I can assure you I will be here right on time every day. At what time should I report?” Michael asked.
“It is good to see that even young people realize their responsibilities. You must come here at ten o’clock sharp and leave at six in the evening,” the boss replied.
Michael was happy to get a job finally as it meant a lot to him. His boss was looking for someone who was punctual and Michael was a perfect choice.
Months went but Michael never took a single leave. He used to come every day at ten o’clock and used to leave after six in the evening. His boss was happy, as he was particular about the timings of his employees.
One day when Michael came to the office his boss called him to his cabin and said, “please, have a seat, Michael. I need to discuss something important with you.”
Michael took a seat and said, “What happened, sir. Is there anything wrong? Are you not happy with my performance?”
“No, it’s not that. I wanted you to give you this month’s salary,” the boss replied.
“Sir, but I take it from the manager every month as he takes care of the salaries of employees,” Michael said.
“Don’t worry. It is just that I am truly happy with your performance so I thought I should give you a raise,” the boss said.
Michael thanked his boss and left the room.
A few days later Michael did not come to the office. His boss was annoyed. He had asked Michael not to take a leave at any cost. The boss did not say anything to Michael but called his manager.
The manager came inside the cabin and said, “I had asked Michael not to take a leave but he did not come today. No doubt, he is a hardworking kid but I must teach him a lesson. You must give him the same salary that he took last month.”
The manager had a doubt in his mind and thought he must ask his boss about the same. He said, “Sir, You increased his salary only a few days back.”
“It does not matter anymore. Do what I have asked to do,” the boss replied.
The manager went back to his cabin.
At the end of the month, Michael took his salary from the manager, counted the money, and went back without uttering up a word.
The next day boss called the manager and asked him, “Did Michael say something about the salary?”
‘No sir, nothing at all.”
“It is so strange. Go back and send him in. I must talk to him about it.”
When Michael came inside the cabin his boss asked, “What happened, Michael. The manager gave you the same salary without adding the raise and you did not even ask the reason. You do not look sad. Even when I increased your salary you were not happy.”
Michael answered in a polite tone, “Sir, it is God’s will.”
“What do you mean by that,” the boss inquired.
“Sir, my wife gave birth to a son last month. When you increased my salary, I thought God had given me an extra income to feed my son. My father passed away the day before yesterday, which is why I took a day off. God knows that I no longer need the raise you gave me since I have lost one member of my family. It’s all god’s will. God takes care of all our needs”
The boss was happy and surprised to see Michael’s faith in God’s will.
David and the Magic Wand of Fairy
Eight-year-old David loved his friends and family. He had his father, mother, and his lovely grandma in his life along with a dog who he had named Jerry. David used to play with his dog in his backyard and loved him dearly. David’s mother however used to scold him for playing with Jerry, as she wanted him to pay more attention to his education and his health. David wanted to grow up soon so that he could live life his way.
One afternoon when David was playing in the garden, he started crying. He had no one to play with him. All of sudden a fairy appeared there. She was wearing a beautiful white dress and was looking almost divine. She went near the boy and said, “Hello David, why are you crying? What’s bothering you? ”
David said,” Who are you and how did you come here?”
“I am a Fairy. And I live up there in the sky. I heard you crying and came here to help. What’s wrong, David? ”
“Nothing, it is just that I am fed up with my life and want to grow up soon so that I do not need my mother’s permission to do anything.”
“Oh, that is not a big deal. I can help you with that. I can turn you into a grown-up. You can live your life your way.”
“That would be great!” David shouted at the top of his voice.
The Fairy waved her magic wand.
The next moment David turned into a young boy who was truly handsome. Time went by, David was happy with his new life. However, he was troubled to find that his grandma had died and his parent had grown old, but life was good.
After a year David went back to the backyard again and said, “Fairy where are you. Please show yourself. I need your help.”
A fairy appeared and asked,” What happened, David? What do you want? ”
David said,” Fairy, I am fed up with my life. College is boring, so is my life. Please turn me into a full-grown man who has a big business empire. A man who is married to a beautiful girl.”
The fairy looked at him with surprise and said, “It will be so.”
The next moment David turned into a middle-aged man who had a beautiful wife and two lovely kids. He went inside the room and saw his mother who had grey hair now and a face full of wrinkles.
Only after six months, David went back to his backyard again and asked the fairy to take him ahead in his life, as he wanted to experience the life of an old man who had a lot of money. It happened that way but David was not happy even after that.
David went back to the backyard after a few days and asked the fairy to appear again. He was sad and had tears in his eyes.
A fairy appeared and asked, “Now what is it that you want David.”
“I am awfully unhappy as I did not understand that the real beauty of life is in living in the moment and enjoy each passing day. I have no memories of me. My mother has passed away. I lost my grandmother and Jerry too and the worst part is that I did not even spend time with them. I want to go back to my life and start it all over. Please do that for me.”
The fairy smiled at him and said, “Be it like that.”
The next moment David found himself in his bed and heard the voice of his mother who was waking him up. David opened his eyes and gave his mother a tight hug. From then on, he never complained about anything in his life.
Life is like that. You are happy when you live your life as it comes and makes happy memories of everyday life.
True Friends
Once upon a time, there lived two great friends in a hamlet near Jaipur. Jay and Vijay had been friends since their childhood. Now, they were studying in a college, which was at a far distance from their place. In the way, they had to cross a river, pass hills and sandy areas too. They used to go to college together. Their friendship was famous in college.
One rainy day the two friends set out for college as usual. They were chatting while walking. Perhaps they were discussing some point of the atomic theory. It was taught the previous day. The two had different opinions which led to heated arguments. This was followed by abusive language by both sides. Things got so bad that in a fit of anger Jay slapped Vijay. Shell shocked Vijay stared at his friend and wrote on sand that “today my best friend slapped me.” Both resumed their walk but now they were silent.
Meanwhile, they reached the river which was overflowing today. Vijay was not a good swimmer. He stepped into the river but began to drown and flow with the force of water in the direction of the flood. Jay saw this and without thinking for a second jumped into the river. With difficulty, he could drag Vijay out of the river. He helped Vijay restore his normal breath.
When Vijay became normal, he wrote on a hill that “today my best friend saved my life.” Jay who was observing all this could not help asking, “why did you write it on the sand when I slapped you and why are you writing on the hill when I’ve saved your life?” Vijay replied that “we should soon forget wrong done by our friends and dear ones as writing on sand gets erased in no time, but if they do something good for us we should always remember their kindness just as writing on stones is forever.” Saying this Vijay hugged his friends and two went to college as if nothing had happened.
Follow Your Dreams to Be Happy in Life
“What happened to you? It is the biggest day of your life. Anyone would love to be in your place today,” Mark said.
David looked at his friend and said, “I wish I could turn back time and live my life my way.” He was down and low as if this achievement meant nothing to him.
Mark and David had been friends for a long. David had his name published in all the reputed newspapers and magazines as he got appointed as the president of the national society of surgeons. The inbox of his mobile phone was full of text message and his phone was ringing after every single minute. He had people congratulating him but David was not happy with his achievement.
“What’s wrong with you? You must be proud of yourself since only a few people achieve such greater heights of success in their lives,” Mark said.
David still had a low face as he took the last sip of his coffee
“You have made your parents proud. Why are you having a low face? Come on! Open up, I am your friend,” Mark said as put his hands in his friend’s shoulder.
David looked up at him and said. It sure is a big achievement but I don’t feel happy since I don’t want to be a surgeon in the first place. I wanted to be a singer but my parents were against it. They wanted me to choose a reputed profession something that could secure my future and lead me to a comfortable life. I wish I had achieved similar success in the field of my choice.
It is true that nothing makes you happier than following your dreams and turning them into reality. Live your life your way, as your happiness is your own responsibility.
