Silly fish

“ How are you feeling ?” Amanda asked her friend Rosy.

“ Drained, ” she answered. Then she stared at Amanda for a moment and added, “ I’m frustrated, mentally and physically exhausted.”

“ You should rest, Rosy. Your body needs it, ” Amanda suggested.

“ It’s not a question of rest. It seems like everything I’m doing is not working. Look at you, Amanda. You are married with three kids. Your online clothing business is flourishing; you are in good health. I mean, you are thriving. I’m sick and tired of my life,” she said, almost in tears.

Rosy disappointment and frustration were obvious. She felt like weeping.

Amanda sat close to her and whispered, “ have you ever heard the story of the silly fish?”

Rosy sighed and said, “ No, what is it ?”

"The silly fish story is an amazing story my grandfather told me when I was fifteen. It has changed my life," Amanda said.

"What's the story about?" Rosy questioned, eager to know more about it.

"A school of fish was living a peaceful life in a river. The older fish was taking care of the group, ensuring all the fish were safe. He trained them on how to avoid human traps and danger. One day, a young fish said to the older fish, "This place is boring. I'm tired of staying in the water all the time. I'm sure that life is more fun on earth. The other animals on earth have more options than we do. I want to go out there and experience their lives. I need to meet new friends and build my own life."

"What did the older fish respond to the young fish's request?" Rosy asked.

"As you can imagine, the old fish tried to explain to the young fish the risks and insecurity of life on earth. He even shared with him several examples of fish that died because they didn't follow the safety protocol. But guess what ?"

"What ?" Rosy said, her eyes wide open.

"The old fish was fed up with the complaints and murmurs of the young fish. So one day, he threw him on the shore of the river. But the old fish was wise. He didn't go far away. He hid under the water and watched the young fish. In less than two minutes, the young fish started shaking and suffocating. He was dying. The old fish came out of the river quickly and rescued him," Amanda told the story.

"What's the story's moral, and how does it relate to me?" Rosy asked.

"The fish is designed and built to live in water. That is the fish's natural environment, a place where it flourishes. When the young fish got outside the river, it started suffocating, ready to die. Why? Because it cannot live outside of water. Now hear me very well, Rosy. "Every human is born with natural gifts. We were born to shine in a particular area of gifting. That is our lane, our water, so to speak, referring to the fish analogy. As long as we refine our gift and use it, we thrive. Unfortunately, many overlook their gifts and envy or lust for other's people gifts. They become jealous of others. Can I be honest with you, Rosy?" Amanda asked.

"Of course. Say what you have to say," Rosy said, unsure of what Amanda meant.

"I have known you for a long time. You keep working on your weaknesses instead of focusing on your strengths. No offense, but you are acting like the silly fish," Amanda said straightforwardly.

"Really! Now you are offending me, calling me a failure? Who do you think you are? Just because your life is going well doesn't mean you are more intelligent than everybody else, "Rosy barked.

"I apologize, Rosy. I don't mean to offend you. I meant to say that you are talent and gifts, you don't use. You are also pursuing things and putting your efforts into trying to do things you are not gifted with. Your life will be a lot better if you switch things around," Amanda elaborated.

"I don't think I'm gifted. My life is so dull," Rosy said, her eyes wet.

"That is the problem. You are not aware of the gifts you carry. You are gifted. Let me tell you two gifts I see in you," Amanda said.

Rosy nodded, wiping away her tears.

"Let me show you one of your gifts, something you do very well, Rosy," Amanda said. Then rose on her feet and went to one of her daughter's bedrooms. She returned with a painting.

"Do you reminder this ?" she asked Rosy while handing her the painting.

"Yes. I did it for two years. It was my gift to your daughter," Rosy replied.

"That is your gift. Painting is in you. I've been telling you that for years. But you don't listen," Amanda recalled.

"I don't take painting seriously. I do it for fun. That's all," Rosy said.

"That is the problem. You overlook what you have and spend your time and energy pursuing something else," Amanda rebuked her.

"You don't understand, Amanda. I need something that is appealing to people. Painting is just painting. I have many in my closet and car garage," Rosy answered.

"Tomorrow, bring me all your paintings in your garage and closet. I will show you what they are worth. Deal ?"

"Deal," Rosy replied without conviction.

The next day, Rosy brought fifty-eight paintings to Amanda. They were all covered with dust. Amanda cleaned them and said to Rosy, “ Here is what I will do. I will take a picture of the paintings and post them on social media. My followers and other people will see them. The second step, I will plan an art exhibition this coming Saturday here at my house. I will invite friends and family members. You will talk about your art and connect with people.”

“ Come on, Amanda. Do you really think these paintings are worth an exhibition?” Rosy asked skeptically.

“ Rosy, you have nothing to lose. Stick to my plan,” Amanda replied.

People reacted fantastically less than twenty-four hours after posting the paintings on Social media. Some liked the pictures; others wrote impressive comments.

“ Look at this !” Amanda said as she was showing her Instagram page to Rosy.

“ Wow, I can’t believe more than three thousand people liked the paintings already,” Rosy commented.

“ Let’s change the plan,” Amanda instructed.

“ Why do you want to change the plan ?” Rosy asked.

“ People are responding to the post on social media. Therefore we need to think big. Instead of doing the exhibition here at my house, let’s do it downtown. There is a room next to the city hall. We will use it,” Amanda said.

“ Amanda, we are just getting started. Doing the exhibition downtown will be expensive. Let’s reduce the costs, ” Rosy suggested.

“ I feel you. But as you can see, lots of people liked your paintings. We can’t do it here because I can’t share my address online. By the way, don’t worry; I will take care of the financial cost,” Amanda replied.

The same day in the afternoon, Amanda rented the exhibition room and posted the address on her social media pages.

On the day of the exhibition, people came from across the country. They bought all the paintings and placed new orders to buy more pictures. Rosy met other artists. They exchange business cards. Rosy received several invitations to participate in art exhibitions in the United States and Europe. She also met the director of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. He invited her to be a guest speaker at the following art workshop in the capital. For the first time in her life, she was proud of herself. As someone said, the two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why. That Saturday, Rosy found out why she was born.

On their way home after the exhibition, Rosy said to Amanda, “ Thank you for believing in me. I didn’t know I had the gift of painting. For years, I have overlooked that gift; I took it for granted. I was miserable, chasing things I didn’t have. ”

“ Every human being was born with something. Unfortunately, many people have the silly fish mentality. Now that you know your gift, work hard to refine it. And always remember this powerful statement: A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men, ” Amanda replied.