When My Wise Grandmother Told Me: “Never Accept A Compromise On Your Happiness”!

Posted: October 12, 2017

My grandmother’s advice to me when I left my sleepy town to come to the big bad city has always stood by me. Passing it on to all of you!

In a small sleepy town, far away from the city, was a starry eyed girl. A pampered girl who grew up believing that the world and the people in it are beautiful. She believed it because she was taught so. She spent her carefree days dreaming and working towards a life of her dreams. A fortunate child whose life had an abundance of love, amenities and possibilities, she was a girl with the softest heart. A heart that breaks at the smallest of things.

She loved fiercely; because she grew up being fiercely loved by her father. She was nice to all she met because she saw that her father was the nicest man. She trusted easily because she was always surrounded by people who kept their words.

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One fine day she grew up. She grew up and she prepared to go to the city to study. She grew up and prepared to go away from all that she knew. All alone. But she was fearless because she had seen only good in life. Good people, good circumstances, good fortune. It was unbelievable for her to understand anything otherwise. Yes, such people do exist. They exist in small towns, where neighbours are family, where parties mean family get-togethers and where friendship means an unbreakable bond of trust.

In this small town lived the girl’s grandma. A wise woman who had seen the whole world but who chose to come back and live simply in this small town. This grandmother had a concern for the girl, because the world is completely different from what she has been taught. The old woman knew that getting hurt was inevitable for her dear grandchild. She can always come back to this haven nonetheless when she is too tired, but it is always good to send one’s daughter prepared to the outside world. So, she called this girl to her home for a farewell dinner. The whole family was there.

In small towns like these, when someone leaves for the city, everyone comes to bid adieu. They come to show gratefulness, happiness and wish luck. Not because they are from a small town but because they have lots of genuine love for people they know. The girl was the star of the party. She was full of life, promises and a dream of making it big.

After the sumptuous dinner when everybody sat with their drinks, talking idly or preparing to leave, the grandma called this nice girl to the kitchen table. The kitchen table has been her favorite because it always had fresh blooming flowers in pots. Her grandma came with a two cupfuls of apple custards.

‘When you leave I want you to leave with a sweet taste and some nice advice,’ she said while handing her, her share. Her grandma sat next to her and said, ‘Now listen and listen very intently.’ The lively fire in the hearth crackled and lit up the room with an orange yellow glow.

A ‘nice’ person can also be cruel

When someone nice to you out in the big world, show you their cruel face for the first time believe them. A person can be as cruel as he/she actually is. Do not believe that it was a fleeting emotion; that it happened because of circumstances. Cruelty is cruelty and it is not justified by anything.

Do not ‘compromise’ in love

Love is a fiery emotion. When love is inwards it will nurture you, when love is sent outwards there may be a time that it will extinguish the flame of love inside you. Extinguish the flame because people have a tendency to take and forget to return. So you might keep giving unless you are completely depleted. When you are depleted well, you have no value to others. When you love never love anyone more than yourself. Never accept to compromise on your happiness. Love does not require adjustments or compromises that break a person’s soul repeatedly.

Always listen to the voice of your conscience

We have raised you with a standard of character. Try to rise higher than what you already are. Never compromise on your standards in the name of love, cause or friendships. Behave in a way that keeps your standards high. However, when in doubt, use the voice of your conscience. It will always lead you to the right path.

With that, the nice girl bid adieu to her grandmother and left for the city.

‘Did the nice girl listen to her grandma’s words?’ my niece asked.

‘Well she is trying to’, I said while finishing off the apple custard that we sat to eat on her porch; the apple custard that my grandma sent that morning because it was storytelling Sunday with my niece. ‘Stories, should always empower one’s mind,’ my grandma had said. So, I chose this story that unfolded ten years back in this sleepy little town that now I visit when on vacations from the city.

Image source: pixabay

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