Task for the week: this came courtesy of Writer’s Digest. Two objects sit before you: a golden hammer and a cup of what seems to be water. A note on the wall says: “Go ahead, make your choice. The outcome will decide whether you’re ready or not.” Ready for what? What is this place? Why these objects? Which will you choose?
In the past few days Nathalie had lost count of the number of times she’d heard the words: “You’ve changed”. Her parents, her close friend, even her manager at work, had uttered the exact same phrase. Each time it was not said with malice but rather with approval of who she now was. It was true, Nathalie felt different in herself. If someone had told her that a dream could be life changing, she would never have believed them, but now, she couldn’t help but think that it must have been the catalyst.
Nathalie was a very driven person, ticking the boxes of university degree, high flying job in the legal world, car, and house, all before the age of 25. From the outside, she looked highly successful: a career driven woman with everything she could ever ask for, although now she was approaching 35, people did sometimes question her lack of a partner or children. Nathalie didn’t have time for either though; it was things, rather than people, that were of greater interest.
She was always spending money on the latest gadgets, even if she didn’t know how to use them properly. Many just sat around forlornly in her spotless home. The kitchen was a case in point. The KichenAid mixer gracing the worktop was funky, practical and state of the art but had never helped whip up a light and fluffy sponge…or even a stodgy heavy one for that matter. Opposite was Heston’s “The Oracle” coffee machine that had never had a coffee pass through it. And then there was the Neff ‘Slide and Hide’ oven, which was still brand new. No cooking or baking took place in Nathalie’s kitchen; it was all for show. Nathalie had no time for such things what with her busy work life. She never stopped to wonder if she was happy; she just plugged along, doing what she thought she should be doing, on auto pilot, a slave to her routine.
One night though, after a particularly stressful day at work, Nathalie had a dream she just couldn’t forget. She was back at work, approaching her office. As she paused to open the door, she saw a note stuck to it: “Go ahead, make your choice. The outcome will decide whether you’re ready or not”. Nathalie was puzzled. Nervously she opened the door. The office was now largely empty, but on her desk were a golden hammer and a plastic cup of water.
Nathalie was drawn immediately to the hammer, like a magpie to a bottle top. She was about to pick it up, when she remembered once again, the note on the door. She paused, assessing her options. If this was a test, it wasn’t much of one. A golden hammer or a cup of water? No, in Nathalie’s mind there was no contest. The hammer would ultimately be worth something, but it also looked like something a successful person would own and it would look good on her shelf full of prizes at home. As her fingers started to close around the handle, the ground gave way beneath her. She was falling, falling, falling. She jolted awake, panicked, before realising that the bed was supporting her and she was safe.
Once her heart settled down to its normal rhythm, it was not long before Nathalie was asleep again, but as soon as her eyes closed, she was back in the dream where she’d left off: falling, falling, falling. Startled, she awoke once more, this time shaking her head to try to rid herself of the falling feeling. It would not pass easily, threatening to drag her back, so quickly she shouted “Lights on”, illuminating the room via her voice activated lighting system. The lights dazzled her but it was a welcome relief from the dream. She gripped the sides of the bed to reassure herself that she was on terra firma, before going into the bathroom to splash cold water on her face. Feeling slightly better, she returned to bed, but the night continued fitfully. She woke the following morning feeling totally out of sorts, but she forced her way into work, pleased to note that her office was just as she’d left it the previous evening, and free from coded messages.
Nathalie tried to lose herself in the business of the day, but the dream kept pricking at her. She usually dismissed her dreams, but the intensity of this one stuck with her and still felt so real. She kept trying to decode it; make sense of what it was all about. She felt like a dead woman walking by lunch-time but she pushed on regardless, and eventually the end of the day came. Back in bed, she settled down for the night. But the dream came back. This time though, going against her intincts, she chose the cup of water. As she lifted if off the desk, and took a sip, her whole body felt magically alive. It was a feeling like she’d never experienced before. Her heart fluttered excitedly in her chest, she felt warm and tingly and a smile spread across her face, broader than she had ever known possible. This water was beautiful. It was sweet, cool, life affirming. She suddenly felt overcome with emotion and tears started to fall, uncontrollably. She didn’t fight them as she usually did. These were good tears; tears of pleasure. Something so simple had made her so happy; elated even.
It was then she was approached by a small, thin, bearded man in an orange robe. “Congratulations,” he said, “you chose well. But what have you learnt?”. Nathalie was, for the first time in her life, somewhat stumped for an answer. The golden hammer which looked good had sent her into freefall. The cup of water led to a better path. It was something we take for granted, something so mundane, but had provided her with a much better feeling: happiness, elation, a freedom even. The old man nodded sagely: “Then you have learnt the first lesson. Sometimes the most value, the most beauty, is in the everyday. It is time for you to appreciate the small things in life, rather than rushing through it at speed, collecting things that have a monetary value but do not fulfil you. Collect moments, not possessions.”
“So what is the second lesson?”, asked Nathalie. Let me enlighten you, said the old man: “We all carry golden hammers with us. The hammer was once a practical item which helped us exist in a confusing world. We realised its value and so we gold plated it. But in so doing, the very thing that kept us safe, started to do us harm. We could no longer use the hammer for protection. Instead it started to destroy us. Find what is holding you back and you will discover more to life”.
Nathalie did not feel like she was being held back by anything. She had everything she’d ever wanted. Or did she? Before she could question the old man further, he dissolved before her. She was intrigued by his words though and on waking the two lessons remained with her. For the first time she paused by her bedroom window and noticed the beauty of the sun rising. It was the start of her new approach to life.
Creative Musings from StripedKat 