Sunday, April 02, 2006

Real Life Story

I found this somewhere...it's a real story so I thought of sharing it...
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I want to tell a story.

Not too long ago, there was a guy who worked really hard at his job. He worked no less than 14hours each day from Monday to Sunday, including public holidays and even through several flus and fevers. Work was fun and work was good. He get recognition from everyone at every level. One day, his boss said to him 'There is no such thing as job security, only career security. Knowledge can be brought along with us, but our jobs can be replaced by just about anyone and it may very well be one of a junior colleague.'

He didnt understand. He continued to work that way and started feeling the stress of neglecting his girlfriend. He did nothing to improve the situation. He felt that waiting will be ok. It will be soon. 'Man on the moon' Through the period of time, he felt that his girlfriend deserves more attention than that he was giving her. Even given that he accompanied his girlfriend to dinner every evening, as he knows that the girlfriend will wait faithfully for him. She had gastric and he knew that he needed to accompany her, even though grudingly. It finally came to that he was keeping quiet when he was with his girlfriend.

His girlfriend thought that he had started seeing someone else. Doing spot checks on him by calling the office and even the handphone's sms when he was asleep. However, none was found as his only affair is work. She was still upset coz in the sms-es, they contained the unhappiness that he felt about needing to take time away from work and accompany her. Their relationship was strained. They started to fight. Actually, it was more like he started to be short tempered.

Eventually, the girlfriend decided to leave. One night as he was sleeping, so thought the girlfriend, she went by his bed and said 'darling, I know you are stressed at work and unhappy to accompany me. I have decided to leave you now. Sorry I cannot take care of you anymore. You must take good care of yourself. I love you.' With that, she started crying. Even though he was just woken up when she sat next to the bed. He didnt react. He didnt knew how.

Some weeks later, he came back and not surprisingly found that she has moved out. The apartment became a cold place suddenly. There is no longer warmth within. The four walls closed in and the chill is almost unbearable. Many chances came by for them to be together, and yet he didnt act on them. They came and they went. Time passed. And she was with someone else. He thought she would always be there for him. He had not been unfaithful, just busy. But he never showed her his love by taking the time to be with her. She thought that he was happy only with work and his friends.

Indeed, he was happy with work and enjoyed the company of his friends. But the love they had was gone. And he felt a loss. A very true loss. It striked in his hearts. That was when he knew that work is important but he can be replaced and friends are important but only when he had the warmth of love to be a good friend. The darkness set in. The realm of hopelessness risen up. The love is gone. The girl has moved on. The guy is still here, the guy is me.

Do not lose yourself in work. Busy is the poorest excuse. Success is nothing when there is no one to share it with. Anyone can be replaced, no matter how capable they are. Work is an unemotional master, they do what needs to be done...with or without you. Support your beloved through the hardest moment, but make sure that they know that you will not be there forever in a state of neglect.

Like a statue without care, love can erode away. Do yourself a favor, save yourself the pain. Save time for work, save time for friends and especially save time for your belove. Do not seek time on your convenience, your belove has a life too. Learn from your mistakes, learn from my mistakes. Treasure yourself..move on when you need to. Lingering will just not do anything for the hurt.

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I like the morale of the story. Sometimes we think a loved one will always be there because they love us so much. I know because I have both been on both ends, thinking this way and being the receiving end of such thoughts. We take the things we thought were ours for granted. Indeed, it would have been if we had taken greater care. Everyone has a limit...a limit that no matter how much you love will be breached if pushed to the edge and at that point, that very love becomes the very thing that destroys both giver and receiver.

Sure we should not let work take over life...but what if one did want work as an excuse?

@-;--

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