Visiting the dying Laomo, all that needed to be said had been repeated countless times. Laomo remained in a semi-dozing, semi-awake reclining position. Outside the window was a bright early summer; May's summer bloomed lushly, and the white magnolias before the village exuded an aroma that refreshed the heart and lungs. But all of this, Laomo could no longer admire with the help of his cane.
From spring into early summer, the sight of Laomo sitting alone at the village entrance smoking his pipe has gradually faded from the villagers' view. The feeling that each meeting might be the last has also increasingly entered my mind. Life is like a candle, flickering in its waning years.
Today, I came across an article I had saved titled "A Story That Will Change Your Perspective on Life," which reminded me of Laomo. I recorded it, remembered it:
I was talking with a friend who said that even though he had two jobs and earned just over three thousand yuan per month, he was already very happy. I found it strange that he could still be so cheerful because his income was meager, and he had to cut back on clothes and food to support his aging parents, his in-laws, his wife, two daughters, and various household expenses. He explained that it was due to an event he witnessed several years ago in India when he was going through a major setback and feeling low, so he went to India to relax. He said he saw with his own eyes an Indian woman use a meat cleaver to cut off her son's right hand. The helpless look in the woman's eyes, the painful moans of the four-year-old child, still haunt him to this day. You might ask: Why did the mother do this? Was it because her child was too mischievous, or was his hand infected? Neither. It was simply for begging! That desperate mother deliberately maimed her child so he could beg on the streets.
My friend was shocked. He put down the bread he was eating halfway through, and immediately five or six children swarmed around, fighting for the piece of bread covered with gravel, reacting naturally as one does when facing hunger. He was startled by this scene and had his tour guide drive him to the nearest bakery. He went to two of them and bought all the bread they had. The bakery owners were surprised but willing to sell everything to him. For less than a hundred yuan, he bought about four hundred pieces of bread (each costing less than 25 cents) and spent another hundred yuan on some daily necessities. Then, he sat in a truck loaded with bread and drove onto the street. As he distributed the bread and daily necessities to mostly disabled children, they responded with joy and bowed.
It was then that he thought for the first time in his life: How can people give up their dignity for a piece of bread worth less than 25 cents?
He began to tell himself how lucky he was - he had a complete body, a job, a family, the opportunity to complain about the quality of food, the opportunity to wear clothes, and the opportunity to possess many things that these people lacked.
Now, I started to think and feel: Is my life really that bad? Maybe... I don't think it's that bad. What about you? Or perhaps next time you think your life is terrible, remember the child who lost a hand for begging. Satisfaction doesn't come from being content with what you want, but from realizing how much you already have. When the door to happiness closes, another door opens, but often we stare at the closed door and fail to see the one that has opened for us.
Indeed, we only realize what we have when we lose it, but we also wait until something arrives to know what we lack. Giving all your love to someone cannot guarantee they will love you back! Don't expect love to be returned; just let love grow in their hearts, and if it doesn't, be content that love has grown in your heart.
It takes a minute to ruin someone, an hour to like someone, a day to love someone, but a lifetime to forget someone. Don't judge by appearances, for they can deceive you; don't judge by wealth, for it fades.
Find someone who can make you smile, because a smile can improve your mood. Find someone who can make you chuckle. Sometimes, your longing for someone is enough to pull them out of your dreams and embrace them!
Pursue your dreams, go where you want to go, be the person you want to be, because you only live once, and only have one chance to do what you want to do.