A woman makes a major life change. This was the first piece I wrote in response to a challenge to write a story inspired by a postcard of a waterfall
It was her oldest friend, her most constant companion. At first she came here only in times of crisis, to try to regain some balance in her life. The privacy of the setting freed her to sob or sing, to think out loud, to dance or beat her fists against the ground. Most of her major decisions were made here with the mountains in the background and the water tumbling down the incline in front of her.
As she matured, she had fewer crises and became more confident in her ability to make decisions. Still she came to soak up the strength she felt flowing from the fall. As life marched on, she came to rely more, instead of less, on this waterfall. It had started as a stop on her way to the hot springs and had grown to be a destination in itself. She made a monthly pilgrimage, bringing along a picnic lunch. Always it was a place for her to dream and always it was the place of her dreams.
She often thought of leaving behind the safe, peaceful make-do world in which she lived and flying to a place of true happiness and fulfillment. In those dreams, she always pictured herself living in the house nestled between the mountains and the waterfall. The house was imbued with a sense of romance. She glided from room to room holding a candle to light her way. Her companion dog sat at her feet as she wove beautiful patterns that fashion designers scrambled to acquire. She presided over elegant dinner parties where she served lamb purchased from a neighbor. And always she was happy. These fantasies made life a little easier, a little more enjoyable. For it is true that fantasies are created only with the best the mind has to offer. And the house at the waterfall was the best her mind had to offer.
Then one day she drove down the mountain pass to see a ‘for sale’ sign on THE homestead. She immediately called to schedule a tour of the property. The house was simply perfect. There was even a room with plenty of light for her to spin and weave the wool she would buy from surrounding shepherds. What life could be more perfect? She could awaken to the sun rising over her falls. She could stable horses in the barn and ride out in the morning. She could weave all day, enter her cloth into competitions and sell it to seamstresses.
This was the time to finally go for it – to quit living safely and follow her dreams. How often did an opportunity like this come along? She was two years away from retirement and spent most of her time telecommuting for work. She could transition her living quarters in a leisurely fashion. She could finish remodeling the new home before she prepped her current one for sale. She could ease into the retirement phase of her life – one of finally reaching for her goals.
She turned this new thought over in her mind slowly, for all her life she had taken the beaten path and the thought of leaving her current life was frightening. Did she have the courage to leave the familiarity of her hometown to venture into the unknown? She would never be unhappy living in her current surroundings. And to be frank, there was no guarantee that she’d love the reality of life at the falls. She might learn to hate the solitude of the waterfall – to feel loneliness instead of serenity. Was the risk worth taking?
But really there was no choice, for it was more than a lifestyle that was at stake. If she didn’t grab this opportunity, she’d lose the magic of the waterfall forever. Having become attainable, it could no longer be the stuff of dreams. And it was the only magic she had in her life. She smiled as she called the realtor to place an offer on her new home. She felt like an entirely new woman – why maybe she’d stop on her way back to splurge on a celebratory bottle of wine!
Did you by chance be looking into my mind when you wrote this? Not of the waterfall, per se, but of the emotions you painted so well. I, too, am facing that choice. The same opportunity keeps popping up, however always somethng keeps me from accepting it. But is it really something else or is it self-denial and maybe even self-sabotage? Good points to ponder.
Pecked to Death offers a refreshing perspective on managing the chaos of everyday life, encouraging you to take control and prioritize what truly matters.
