LOVE, Kloudiia

I was hunting high and low for that white and green paper bag. I remembered very vividly that was the bag in which I had put some of my books inside, and left it in my boyfriend’s office.

So that evening I wanted to get two books, and I couldn’t find the bag at all.

I searched the entire office, mostly focusing on the floor, but still to no avail.

Heaving a big sign, I gave up.

It wasn’t until my boyfriend returned that I knew where my books were placed – nicely stacked up on his desk.

Can you imagine that? His table was right in the middle of the room, and my books were in a pile, sitting at the outermost corner, and yet I had let that entire stack passed through my nose to and fro a few times, without even noticing they’re there!

Gosh!

This incident tells us something.

We are so blinded by our own expectations that at times, we fail to notice that things could have changed, or altered. I was expecting to see the books in the paper bag where I left them, so all I did was to look for that paper bag! Did I find it? No I didn’t, because the bag was long gone.

But was that what I wanted to look for? No, my goal was the books, which had already found a new landing place on the desk.

So, why then was I so blinded? Because in my mind, all I can see and think of was the bag. So when I couldn’t find them, I thought my books were gone too.

Are you blinded by your own expectations that you fail to notice the other side of the pasture? Could you be looking for something that is no longer there, and yet you are still remaining at the same spot thinking it should be there?

Maybe it’s a relationship where love is no longer present, yet you are still looking for signs that they are. Maybe it’s a principle you have held on to since young, and which has served you very well until you’ve outgrown it, but you refuse to acknowledge this fact. Maybe the passion for your business has died, and yet you clinged on to it as you only remember the times when you had set it up and burnt through the nights to reach the stage where it is today.

How blind can we be to things that are so obvious to the outside world but totally dark in our internal world.

This reminds me of a story. This is my version:

Once upon a time, there was a boy who grew up in a very poor family. They survived on selling handicrafts handmade by his mother. Each day, he and his mother will peddle some goods to the market, set up a stall and sell. When times are good, they can make a few dollars, which will last for few more days. When times are bad, they may not even make a single cent, and the boy will always accompany his mother home, who will look very sad and worried.

Then one day, the boy’s mother fell sick. So, she told him to go and set up the stall himself, as they really couldn’t afford to waste a single day not doing business.

Knowing very well how much people like to bargain, so she gave him this piece of instruction, and warned him to remember it by heart:

“Son, you must remember what I’m saying now. You can only sell the goods at 10cents per piece. If they want two pieces, you will sell them for 20cents. Remember, it has to be 10cents per piece, do you understand?”

“Yes mom, I know. I’ve been watching you sell every day, I know what to do. Don’t worry, I’ll bring some money back today.” he replied.

So he set off, not knowing that is going to be a big day.

As usual, the customers came and started haggling price with the boy, who stood firm on his mother’s instructions and said the handmade purse will be sold for 10cents a piece.

He made a few sales, and was very pleased with his performace on the first day of doing business.

Then came a man. He is a merchant, who came from another country and happened to pass by the boy’s stall. Those colourful, delicately sewn purses and handicrafts caught his eye, and he asked the boy

“Where did you get all these?”  

“These are all handmade, by my mother!” the boy answered energetically, proud of his mom’s handiwork.

“Your mother has excellent marksmanship I must say. I’ll give you 50cents per piece, if you are willing to sell them to me. I’m sure it will fetch a very good price when I bring them back” the merchant offered.

“No, not 50cents sir. I will only sell you 10cents a piece” the boy “bargained”, feeling proud that he is standing firm on his mom’s instructions.

“But, I’m willing to give you 50cents, don’t you want to make more money?” the merchant was really puzzled now.

“No, it’s 10cents. My mom says we must sell these at 10cents a piece.” the boy replied, ernestly.

“Ok, then 10cents it shall be” the merchant chose 10 items, paid a dollar and left, praising the boy for his honesty, and feeling excited about his excellent purchase at such a big bargain.

When the boy went home, he can’t wait to tell this good news to his mother.

“Mom, mom, look. I made a dollar today! I sold 10 pieces! Isn’t it great!”

“Wow, you are such a clever boy! So did the people ask for a cheaper price?” his mother asked.

“Yes, they did. But I insisted on selling 10cents, like what you told me” the boy reported.

His mother heaved a sign of relief, feeling thankful that she had forseen this to happen and had prevented his son from being taken advantage of in her absense.

“But mom, you gotta hear about this. There was this man who came to buy, and guess what? He wanted to pay me 50cents, but I said no, you can’t. The purse is selling for 10cents, so you have to buy at that price” the boy related this to his mom.

“What? You stupid boy. Why did you reject this man’s offer? Don’t you know that we can earn much more with that price?” his mother asked, in disbelief.

“But, you told me to sell it at no other price but 10cents. I thought I did right this time…” the boy’s eyes started to well with tears, head bowing down feeling sad now.

Are you laughing in disbelief too? At the boy’s stupidity?

Sit down and think, we could have made the same mistake as him before, in certain times of our lives. When we are too fixated on some opinions, values or expectations that we didn’t know to grab hold of the golden opportunity when it came knocking on our door, just because we were expecting a silver one to appear.

The price to pay for being too stubborn, and close-minded.

I hope the price you paid wasn’t too high, and I sincerely wished you had that lesson deeply engraved in your memory, only to be used as a life reference for a better, more beautiful future that is awaiting.

[tags]close minded, golden opportunity, relationships, life lesson, blinded, perception, expectation[/tags]