Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Motivation.
While Waiting
While waiting by Dorota De Cruz Her steps appeared less graceful for the first time in her life; this time heavier, almost as if they were taken in slow motion. Her legs suddenly felt too heavy to move in her usual swift manner. All the burdens of her past and her present wrapped themselves around her legs like thick tree vines, and today, the knots that formed and held her energy captive for so long felt even tighter. Each minute becoming more mundane than the last. Adding “unemployed” to her already dreary status of fifty-five and divorced was not part of her life itinerary that she had imagined so vividly. She never feared failure until now, when it suddenly felt too close and too real. Alas, a park bench appeared even closer than she could even dream of. Despite the still damp coating of fall leaves that covered most of it, she fell onto them with no hesitation, leaned back, closed her eyes, and took the deepest breath she has ever taken. Her entire being was trying to catch all the delicate autumn sun rays as if they were the ingredients to her dreams that were yet to come true. These tiny joyous snippets of what she could still become were overpowered by reminders of her current reality. They say life flashes before your eyes during a near death experience. She was waiting. Suddenly, she hears a series of knocks coming from right beside her. Not those of a woodpecker on a tree, but as if they were coming from an ancient wooden door nearby. “Knock, Knock,” says a voice from underneath the bench. “Who’s there?” she then comically replied. “It’s me, over here. I’m just a little, black notebook.” The woman uncertain of whether she was hallucinating, or she was in fact hearing a voice introducing themselves as a notebook, slowly raised herself up from a leaning position and started to look around. With a little help from the wind blowing away some leaves from underneath the bench and the sun shedding some light through the slats she was finally able to see whom, or rather what was behind the stoic voice and the knocking she heard. Still in disbelief of what she might have heard, she picked the notebook up and wiped the dark cover of dirt and debris. “Don’t be afraid, open me,” it said. She couldn’t help but to be just that, a little frightened. She stood up and threw the little black book on top of the bench, “Am I going crazy?” she thought to herself. Yet with a feeling of nothing to lose and a bit of curiosity, she picked it up again, hands shaking with uncertainty, and opened it only to see slightly yellow, aged and empty pages of nothing. “Would you fill my pages out? Can you make them less empty?” it asked. He explained to the woman that if she succeeds at filling out all the pages with anything she chooses to in three days and returns it back to the exact same place, something extraordinary and unexpected will come her way. In the most mysterious and magical way the notebook closed itself, still in her hands and became silent. She asked herself one question, “What am I waiting for?” and left. The blank pages did not remain blank for long. She held her pen confidently, as if she has done this many times before. Not really knowing where to start, she quickly came to a realization that the most rational place to start would be the very beginning. The first several pages she filled were about her life long desires. Her deepest desire was the one for love. All she ever wished for is for someone to love, and that someone to love her back. The pages that followed were filled with her worries and fears; the worry of love not coming her way, the fear of growing old without someone to share all the things she was writing down. Her daydreams of having someone so close to her brought her comfort throughout the years. She always believed this someone would come one day and witness every one of her wrinkles form on her face. On the last day, on the last page, with no doubts, and a big smile on her face she wrote, “to be continued…” The rain was heavy on the third day, and the winds were strong. As she walked out of her apartment trying to shield herself from the harsh air with her big, yellow umbrella, she pressed the little black book to her chest as if it was a newborn child, protecting it with her life. When she finally arrived at the park there was no other soul in sight. She felt rushed by the gusts of wind, so she quickly left the book underneath and covered it with some wet, sticky leaves to protect it. She stood there and looked around for another couple of minutes while the wind and rain was getting even more unpleasant, hoping to maybe hear from her unusual friend again. Disappointed, she felt as if she was walking away from her destiny. Feeling let down and rushed by the weather, she walked back home. Her eyes struggled to stay open from the exhaustion, so she dropped her raincoat and the umbrella on the floor and fell into a deep sleep. The very next morning started with a sun ray peeking through one of the blinds that just happened to rest delicately on her cheek. It’s warmth felt like a hug, which instantly woke her up. To her surprise, her body felt free of yesterday’s troubles when she stood up. As she made her way to the bathroom she suddenly stepped into a puddle of water that was left behind by the already dry but still open umbrella. Something stuck to its yellow fabric made it look as if it was smiling at her. She smiled back. When she pulled off what appeared to be a piece of paper, which she was about to toss in the trash, but suddenly, to her surprise realized it was yesterday’s lottery ticket. With much enthusiasm, she logged on to check the numbers. “Ahh, I won! I can’t believe it! I won! I never win anything!” she screamed. She just won $20,000 thanks to someone losing their ticket. Still dancing in the puddle of water, she realized that what happened wasn’t just luck, and that it might’ve had something to do with the notebook. Without any hesitation or coffee, she quickly got dressed and ran out to go find the book to express her gratitude. On her way to the park she realized that she forgot her coat, but her immense joy kept her from feeling any discomfort in the cold. At that moment it was impossible to put her smile to rest. The energy shift in her life was visible enough for everyone to see. She said hello and smiled at everyone who was lucky enough to cross her path, the path to the same bench that brought her so much good fortune this morning. Everything around her was lit up by the day’s sun with not one cloud in sight. When she finally arrived at the park she saw that her bench welcomed another visitor. A man sitting with his leg crossed at his ankle resting against his other knee on which upon laid a little black book. He was reading it and it looked as if he was almost done. As she walked up to get closer she noticed he was not only handsome but very much intrigued by what he was reading. “Did it speak to you too?” she asked the stranger. He smiled and replied, “Yes it did. There is some good stuff in here. Too bad we don’t know who the author is.” “You really liked it?” she asked, looking for reassurance. His eyes were honest and made her feel safe and comfortable enough to ask him, “Did you have a coffee yet?” The two strangers agreed to grab some at the nearest café where they took a table in its front window overlooking the Park Street. The traffic of people and the surrounding noise was somehow muted. There were no awkward pauses or judgmental stares in their conversation. Instead, just a simple feeling of “right at home” that consumed them both mutually. And in between them there were no boundaries or limits, just a little black book resting on the table next to two coffees. At that moment he knew he had to ask. “So what will happen next?” As they exchanged smiles, in admiration of one another, she gracefully closed the book and replied, “Don’t wait for it, it will come.”
By Dorota De Cruz6 years ago in Motivation
Leap
“This is going to take forever!” Eloise said as she stood with her hands on her hips. “We’ve got this! Let’s dig in!” Emelia asserted as she headed towards a stack of trinkets that looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. She and Ellie were starting to make some headway on the mess in the attic of their childhood home. A few months ago, their parents told them that they were going to sell the home and move closer to the beach. It had always been a dream of their mothers to have a home on the beach. As much as they loved their childhood home, they understood why their parents were moving. The house sold very quickly. And just like that, their parents found their dream beach home. They were going to miss the one place that they could always call “home”.
By Kristen Tisano6 years ago in Motivation
Overcoming the Demons
The lighter flicked, bringing to life the bright embers in a dark room, stale from sweat and dirty clothes, as smoke filled her lungs. Laying in the dark, listening to the silence around her, she contemplates all the reasons she had to get up. Sitting up and feeling her knee crack and her hip pop she slowly put on her tattered, slate gray sweats. She’s had the same pair of sweats for years and even though she’s purchased new ones, these ones hug her in just the right way to give her the comfort she just can’t replace.
By Kelley Ann6 years ago in Motivation
Unexpected Wisdom From A Little Black Book
It was a bitterly cold day when I left my mother's recently unoccupied, two-bedroom apartment. I carried a box of decorative owls that were on route to Good Will before I made the hour and a half trek back home. Trying to balance this awkwardly packed box on my knee as I fumbled with frozen fingers with the trunk key proved to be ineffective, as the box, and most of its contents, crashed to the ground. "Goddamn it!" I snarled as I saw shards of shattered beaks and large, seemingly disapproving eyes scattered about. I could almost hear my Mother chastising my clumsiness as I rubbed my temples from the day's emotionally and physically draining activities.
By P Skula6 years ago in Motivation
This Little Black Notebook's Curse
_This Little Black Notebook’s Curse _ “This is me, my most authentic self! This is me, my most authentic self! This is me, and I can do this, because I am!” Autumn Moon tells herself repeatedly, as she walks through the heavy glass, double-doors of the tiny, dusty, you-will-miss-it-if-you-blink bookstore, that is nestled between several other small shops, located within the historic buildings of downtown Caldwell, Idaho. This same mom-and-pop-owned bookstore, that Autumn has walked by and into every day for the past five years. Her mother, a Psychic, has owned her own small metaphysical shop, just next door. Also, where Autumn has worked through blood, sweat and tears - alongside her mom - in hopes to help her struggling mother, Gypsy, to financially keep the doors open, so they may keep teaching classes to crisis centers, and their community members.
By Kelly Tapp6 years ago in Motivation
The Notebook
We’d been married ten years and Janie still believed in me. That’s why I didn’t tell her the truth: that my meeting wasn’t on the executive floor of the publisher’s office, but in a café down the street. It was the café where we’d met when I was an upcoming editor at a successful magazine, writing my great American novel at night, and she was a junior editor at Vogue. Now she was senior management and I wrote ‘contributing articles’ for anything that paid. The great American novel was on the backburner and had been for years.
By Tracee de Hahn6 years ago in Motivation
Lock in a thick, brick wall
Again, I found myself standing in my pyjamas on a Saturday morning staring at the brick wall. My eyes were still squinted, yearning for their prior state of sleep but I knew that today was the day. Today had to be the day. There would be no going back to bed this morning. I headed downstairs to the kitchen and flicked the switch on the kettle, pouring a heaped spoonful of coffee in the cafetiere and putting two slices of bread in the toaster. As I waited for the morning machines to fulfil their purposes, I looked around at the half painted kitchen and semi-built flat pack table. I should be getting on with putting the rest of my new house together, I thought but for some reason the only thing my mind could focus on was the lock in the thick brick wall of my new bedroom.
By E M Parrott6 years ago in Motivation
MY ONLY REGRET
My day started the same as any other day over the past sixteen years. Hearing the sounds of the city waking up as the countless multitudes scurried to their cubicles of life. I managed to arise to another self induced day full of regret and loathing. My life wasn't always as it is now. I can faintly remember coming home to a beautiful family, the palatial retreat, and the sounds of my two year old daughter's feet making the echoing joy that would flood my heart. This lifestyle was expected from a senior partner at the firm I had help start with my best friend from childhood. The vision I had since childhood of what I believed was the ultimate sign of success had taken root and I was bearing the fruit. What else could I ask for , a great career, a loving wife, a healthy child, a beautiful home, and my best friend that I worked with side by side for many years. This was all about to change and I never seen it coming. After all I perceived that I had the perfect life. My life was my joy.
By Jim Creech6 years ago in Motivation
A Hand To Guide Me
It's easy to find someone to look up to, but when it comes down to it someone successful will show you someone who didn't want positive influences in his or her life. Admit it, at some point in your life you came out on top and some asked you how you did it, you secretly didn't want to share with them how you got there. No matter who you are or what you do there is someone to show you how and to cheer you on through it. I'll lay the odds.
By Young Mex6 years ago in Motivation
The Little Black Book
Jarica popped up from her towel to head to the restroom. The beach was closing up for the day and she was amazed to see how much garbage was left from the patrons over the past few hours. Beaches seemed less crowded in the pandemic, but as her traveling companions noted: "Humans are still the worst."
By Sarah Rogers6 years ago in Motivation
