The days of working from home, every day, all day, have already opened our eyes and minds to so much. Tools we started using for communicating remotely, know-hows and best practices that are being practiced by millions of people, time management between work and family, and much more. Things have changed to the extent, that I doubt if we will ever behave the same going forward, long after this world crisis will be over.
But there is one lesson, one shining light, that I have realized and embraced as a present for life, one that I have not yet heard or read about anywhere. No one talks about it in the professional forums, but it can turn stress into real happiness. This lesson nonetheless can be best understood when enjoying a short story first.
An aspiring high-tech man has finally decided to take a vacation. He signed up for a cruise in the Caribbean and set off for the fun of his life. Until … the ship, hit a shoal, and sank.
He found himself washed to the shore of a tropical, yet abandoned island. Only he alone with no one else around what so ever, and no supply. Just bananas, coconut trees, and himself.
About four months later, while he was lying on the beach one day, he suddenly saw a beautiful women rowing in a boat toward him, out of the sea. Not believing what his eyes are seeing, he jumped up from the sand which he sat on and ran over to ask her, ‘Where did you suddenly come from?’
“I rowed here from the other side of the island, to which I was washed as my cruise ship sank,” she replied. “Amazing!,” he said, “you were lucky that a rowing boat was washed with you from the sinking ship.” “Oh, is it?”, She replied, “I built the boat myself from materials I found on the island. I carved the oars from the rubber tree branches, organized the bottom of the ship from palm branches and the spine and sides carved eucalyptus branches”.
“But.. but it can’t be,” he stammered, “you didn’t have the tools … how did you get on?” “Oh, no problem,” the women replied, “on the south side of the island there is a layer of exposed erosion rock. That’s how I made tools for myself and used them to make the boat”. The hi-tech man was absolutely shocked.
“Let’s go to my place,” she said. After a few minutes of rowing, the women stopped the boat near a small dock. The high-tech man looked at the beach and almost fell out of the boat, in astonishment. He saw a pavement leading to a refined bungalow, painted in white and blue.
When a women tied the boat, using a skillfully twisted rope, the man just stood and looked in front of him, astonished once again.
When the two entered the house, she said casually, “It’s not much, but I call it home. Sit down, maybe you want to drink something”?
“No, no thanks,” he replied, “I can’t stand coconut juice anymore, I’m sure you can understand”.
“It’s not coconut juice,” the women replied with a smile, “I have a distillery here, what about a nice cold Pina Colada?”
While trying to hide his amazement, the man agreed. They sat on her couch to sip and chat.
“We have been here for such a long time, there must be something you really want, something you dreamed about, that you wanted to do, something you missed all these months”
After they finished telling their stories, the women announced, “I’m going to dress in something more comfortable. Maybe you want to take a shower and shave in the meantime? There’s a razor in the bathroom upstairs, inside the closet”.
Without asking any more questions, the man went up to the bathroom. There, in the closet, he found a device made of two bone handles between which was attached a sharp razor made of a honed shell.
“This woman is amazing,” he mused, “who knows what else she has …”
Sitting down, she complimented him on ‘wearing’ vineyards, scattered subtly across strategic places in her body, and emitted a delicate aroma of the gardenia flower scent. She suggested that he sit next to her …
“Please tell me”, she began in a suggestive and seductive tone as she glided over to him, “we both have been single here for such a long time, I’m sure there is something you really want, something you dreamed about, that you wanted to do now, something you missed all these months, you know …”
Her sparkly eyes looked straight into his eyes as a smile beckoned to her lips.
Not believing his ears he exclaimed, “Wow !!!”, he swallowed excitedly, “do you want to tell me I can check my emails from here?”
What can we take away?
So we’re at home, juggling our time between the kids whom are also at home, our work that constantly disrupts with our daily schedule, the news that simply won’t stop adding and providing disturbing headlines by the hour, and the noisy bugging chat groups that grow their traffic exponentially.
But this is also an opportunity of a lifetime! To pause a little bit. Enjoy the presence of our loved ones, and our significant others. Cancel our flights, our planned holidays, nonstop travel to business meetups or pleasure trips. Spend quality time with our families without the hassle and bustle of the day to day race of life.
Thinking of it, things can get worst. I may get used to this life soon.