(2) The journey from ‘What if’ to ‘How to’

Rachel’s pillow was soaked with tears. Most probably, she had been crying the whole night.

It had been a bad day for her and she could not figure out ‘why’. She and Larry, her live-in partner, had got up fresh in the morning and enjoyed their coffee.

It was all smiles and laughter between them till the afternoon. Larry had helped her cook smoked ham which they enjoyed with beer.

It all started when Rachel brought up the topic of their marriage, very lightly. She was expecting their first child and felt very much insecure.  

That topic always troubled Larry. She did not remember when and why he became aggressive. She fell down but Larry did not stop.

She had become unconscious. When she could get up, it was a shock to know that, true to her fears, Larry had walked out on her.

Her helplessness brought out a hollering cry. Was she at fault for wanting a secure life?

She had met Larry in High School, left her studies, and moved with him. She had not listened to her parents’ and sister’s advice, only because of her deep love for him. It had been six years now. Larry kept shuffling jobs because of his fiery nature.  

The more she thought, the more she cried and began to blame herself-

What if I had studied some more?

What if I had not fallen in love with Larry?

What if I had listened to the advice of my parents and Julia, my sister?

What if I had not brought up this topic of marriage with him?

……It was a long chain of ‘what ifs’ going on and on. Each ‘What if’ brought out a fresh round of tears till she was exhausted. At one point, she, even, thought of committing suicide but her unborn child forced her out of it.

Her phone rang suddenly. It was from Julia. Her voice brought back the torrent. Julia was with Rachel within half an hour. She heard Rachel patiently but kept her cool and asked her, “So, what now?”

Rachel was blank. She thought to find Larry, somehow, bring him back, never talk about the wretched marriage, and leave everything to the destiny.

Now, Julia took over. She told her, “Rachel, you are just 23. You don’t have any right to destroy yourself.”

Julia was a trained professional nurse working with the famous gynecologist, Dr. Miller.

She brought Rachel home. Their parents, though not very happy with Rachel because of her past decision, accepted her back.

Julia knew about Rachel’s cooking and baking skills. She encouraged her to start making cakes, pastries, bread, pies, muffins, biscuits and other bakery items. The patients of Dr. Miller were friendly with Julia and soon orders began to pour in.

Gradually, Rachel’s business grew up. She delivered a healthy baby in Dr. Miller’s hospital. Larry approached after a year and offered to take her back. However, Rachel, by this time, had traversed a journey from ‘What if’ to ‘How to’.

What is the take-away?

Actually, This journey from ‘What if’ to ‘How to’ is one from negativity to positivity.

Let’s compare both.

What if- Can you do anything about your past? ‘No’ is the clear answer.

How to – Can you find solutions to the problems in hand? A very loud ‘Yes’ comes out naturally.

Well, the choice is yours. Cry over the past or choose to build a future. 

#WhatIf #HowTo #SolutionsOfProblems #FindSolutionsNotProblems

The author believes to live for the future. There is no fun in crying over spilt milk. You can learn from the past but becomes heavy baggage if carried over.