Magdalena had a well-paid job with perfect working conditions. However, she got more and more frustrated each week because she was missing passion in what she was doing. Her job wasn’t hard but the lack of enthusiasm was stealing her energy.
Her father noticed that something was wrong with her. When she told him about her problem he said: ”During World War II your grandfather was forced to work in a coal mine, deep underground for 4 years, not knowing if his family was alright.”
Magdalena began to think and felt really bad about not being satisfied with her job that offered such good working conditions. She said: ”Dad I’m feeling so stupid, I’m so sorry that I complained. Granddad had to really suffer for 4 years and I’m complaining about the 4 DAYS that are left until weekend. I will stop being so discontent.”
But her dad said: ”Your granddad wouldn’t have wanted you to value a job you don’t like just because he has suffered much more than you do. He would have wanted you to take the chance to find a work you enjoy because life is too short to fill it with things that you don’t feel are the right ones for you. He didn’t have the possibility to escape from what he was forced to do, it would have killed him if he had tried.
But you, you won’t get killed if you escape from what is making you feel depressed. Instead you would slowly kill all the passion that is left inside you if you continued. You are not forced to stay like your granddad was. He would have wanted you to stop whining and take the possibilities he didn’t have.
Please send your stories (250 words max.) for selection to paulocoelho.writer@gmail.com.
Lovely story, Barbara. Liked it very much. You just keep on writing.
Stort knus
Great story Barbara!
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Thank you so much everyone for your kind words. They have really warmed my heart and I’m so glad that you like my story.
Love, Barbara
Amazing and insightful story. Thank you for sharing this with us.
This is exactly what my mother says to me.
Prasad B. Kulkarni.
Wonderful!!!!
Absolutely loved it Barbara. Beautifully written, and lovely message :) you should be proud :)
Thank you Barbara Zedler, beautifully said.
LOVE,
Thelma.
Thank you for sharing! Great! Me too, brought me back to a path I crossed. For having people coming to me to have help because of depression, no sense in life, etc, I find myself with that same speach as that father … and that is the wonderful power of relation, of communicating with one another, for she would not have had that light if she has stayed confined in non expression, in silence … to risk telling to someone what is “really” going on, it is taking the chance to ear God speak!
Ohm it brought me tears….and my heart knows why…
So, Mamma Thelma, knows too, dearest Annie!!
LOVE,
Thelma.
I bet she does!
What a great response by the father! How often we do as our parents did, because we think it is the right way or that they would have wanted us to. Life demands us to examine every situation and not just do as it was done.
Sherryba
Good father. Not all parents encourage their kids to follow the desired path.
I remember a story,about my relatives.Was after the war, as communist regime was taking control. My relatives, the sister of grandpa, and her husband were of noble origin. That mean for the communists, an insane origin. So they forced the poor young lady and the husband to work at coal, to carry the wagons of trains.They had to wake very early,and endure bad words. They were so desperate, that for a long period they kept in the mansard two ready coffins, planning to hang themselves.
My mom even come to know the man who was the regent of the last king, after 15 years of hard jail, he had a very noble and deign countenance. His name was Flondor.