witty kitten
02-06-2010, 09:36 AM
COMPARISONS: PAIN OR FUN
The little girl was one year old. Everybody was laughing and talking, restlessly waiting to see what she would choose among a variety of things scattered around her. It was an old superstition that on the first birthday, the child's choice would suggest his or her future career. A box of white chalk for teachers, a blouse for doctors, a pen for writers, a recorder for journalists.. all were left untouched before her void-of-eagerness eyes. "She's too young anyway", the mother consoled herself and leaned over to smile at her daughter. Suddenly, her eyes flashed and her arms gesticulated wildly until she reached the sparkling heart hung on the gold chain around her mother's neck. Holding it firmly in her weak hands, the little girl gave an innocent smile. Her mother was taken aback. Her father turned away and gave a silent sigh. A cold wind was finding its way through the closed door...
The second birthday passed, followed by the third, then the fourth, ect. The little girl of the past grew up with time, seldom found talking and laughing noisily and her eyes sometimes contained a bit of remoteness and emptiness. During the breaks at school, while her friends were marking such a noise in their hide-and-seek and chases, she quietly drew into a corner of the classroom, engrossed in her book and free to smile and cry with her characters, completely forgetting where she was and paying no attention to the on-lookers amazement. Little by little, her friends got used to that. They were not surprised at her absence in their smashing get-togethers, but she was the first they went to when they had any personal problems. She wondered if she was a good advisor, but apparently she a good listener. She could listen to them for hours and open her heart to sympathise and to share all the troubles with them. They whispered in her ear she was the one with an instinct for giving, not for taking. She just smiled.
Coming home from school, she was surprised to see a large bundle of roses in cellophane on her desk, beautifully tied with a violet ribbon, the colour she loved best of all. Twenty roses with the wishes written in a foreign language were sent to her by a florist. The present was from a friend whom she had seen off two years before. Why did he send her flowers? They were clearly not for her birthday! She looked up at the calendar on the wall and the number 14-2 gave her an answer. She had experienced nearly one third of her life, worrying too much for nothing and caring nothing for what her friends were seeking. Her heart ached when she remembered the sad look in her friend's eyes at the station, something warm he wanted to send to her but the wind carried it away! She put all the roses around in her room and brought the first Valentine present into her sleep.
She received more and more Valentine presents but her happiness did not increase with them. This bundle of roses was very beautiful, but she sensed no significance in it, the heart on that card was not fully shaped... She put all her souvenirs in a nice box and placed it in an honoured place on top of her bookshelf. She appreciated what she got.
One day, she chose a companion for herself. In fact, she thought it was destiny that placed him in her life. Goodbye to the roses, goodbye to the nice heart-shaped cards, goodbye to the letter with no senders on them... she exchanged all those Valentine presents for a sincere heart. Her boyfriend did not have the habit of sending her roses on Valentine's Day, but he looked so pale every time she fell ill and spent a lot of time on her broken shoes. Her friends did not think it was a fair exchange. Once again, she smiled. What would happen if he remembered to send her flowers and did not forget other girls, either? She built her happiness on that foundation but for once, it was shaken to the root. Destiny placed before her another heart, not only full of sincerity but also full of sensitivity. But that heart belonged to another woman for ever! For the third time, she smiled. A sad smile but no tears since she always accepted what she could have and never expected what she could not.
In class, the teacher had just finished the grammar point Comparisons and now came to a conclusion: "In a word, in our lives, we should apply as many comparisons as possible because they are an impetus for us to strive and improve ourselves. But you shouldn't apply them to love because they are the source of all troubles and insecurities. "When you can't get what you like, you must like what you get"". The class finished, some students smiled, others were deep in thought. The teacher looked out the window, seemingly trying to hide something in her eyes...
DTDN: [email protected]
The little girl was one year old. Everybody was laughing and talking, restlessly waiting to see what she would choose among a variety of things scattered around her. It was an old superstition that on the first birthday, the child's choice would suggest his or her future career. A box of white chalk for teachers, a blouse for doctors, a pen for writers, a recorder for journalists.. all were left untouched before her void-of-eagerness eyes. "She's too young anyway", the mother consoled herself and leaned over to smile at her daughter. Suddenly, her eyes flashed and her arms gesticulated wildly until she reached the sparkling heart hung on the gold chain around her mother's neck. Holding it firmly in her weak hands, the little girl gave an innocent smile. Her mother was taken aback. Her father turned away and gave a silent sigh. A cold wind was finding its way through the closed door...
The second birthday passed, followed by the third, then the fourth, ect. The little girl of the past grew up with time, seldom found talking and laughing noisily and her eyes sometimes contained a bit of remoteness and emptiness. During the breaks at school, while her friends were marking such a noise in their hide-and-seek and chases, she quietly drew into a corner of the classroom, engrossed in her book and free to smile and cry with her characters, completely forgetting where she was and paying no attention to the on-lookers amazement. Little by little, her friends got used to that. They were not surprised at her absence in their smashing get-togethers, but she was the first they went to when they had any personal problems. She wondered if she was a good advisor, but apparently she a good listener. She could listen to them for hours and open her heart to sympathise and to share all the troubles with them. They whispered in her ear she was the one with an instinct for giving, not for taking. She just smiled.
Coming home from school, she was surprised to see a large bundle of roses in cellophane on her desk, beautifully tied with a violet ribbon, the colour she loved best of all. Twenty roses with the wishes written in a foreign language were sent to her by a florist. The present was from a friend whom she had seen off two years before. Why did he send her flowers? They were clearly not for her birthday! She looked up at the calendar on the wall and the number 14-2 gave her an answer. She had experienced nearly one third of her life, worrying too much for nothing and caring nothing for what her friends were seeking. Her heart ached when she remembered the sad look in her friend's eyes at the station, something warm he wanted to send to her but the wind carried it away! She put all the roses around in her room and brought the first Valentine present into her sleep.
She received more and more Valentine presents but her happiness did not increase with them. This bundle of roses was very beautiful, but she sensed no significance in it, the heart on that card was not fully shaped... She put all her souvenirs in a nice box and placed it in an honoured place on top of her bookshelf. She appreciated what she got.
One day, she chose a companion for herself. In fact, she thought it was destiny that placed him in her life. Goodbye to the roses, goodbye to the nice heart-shaped cards, goodbye to the letter with no senders on them... she exchanged all those Valentine presents for a sincere heart. Her boyfriend did not have the habit of sending her roses on Valentine's Day, but he looked so pale every time she fell ill and spent a lot of time on her broken shoes. Her friends did not think it was a fair exchange. Once again, she smiled. What would happen if he remembered to send her flowers and did not forget other girls, either? She built her happiness on that foundation but for once, it was shaken to the root. Destiny placed before her another heart, not only full of sincerity but also full of sensitivity. But that heart belonged to another woman for ever! For the third time, she smiled. A sad smile but no tears since she always accepted what she could have and never expected what she could not.
In class, the teacher had just finished the grammar point Comparisons and now came to a conclusion: "In a word, in our lives, we should apply as many comparisons as possible because they are an impetus for us to strive and improve ourselves. But you shouldn't apply them to love because they are the source of all troubles and insecurities. "When you can't get what you like, you must like what you get"". The class finished, some students smiled, others were deep in thought. The teacher looked out the window, seemingly trying to hide something in her eyes...
DTDN: [email protected]