It is a truth universally acknowledged that making choices of your own isn't always easy. You can't help but wonder if you did the right thing, what will people say, but you fail to remember something crucial- it's YOUR life. It's yours to create as you see fit. All we need is a little reminder of this fact. Nothing too drastic, at least not this time...

This story begins with a girl named Maria. She has a simple life, an average job, a few friends and all that jazz. She's a sweet and caring girl, as it usually goes. But also quite selfless, almost to a fault. Putting wants and needs of others before her own, never asking for anything in return. Never questioning if it's really okay for her to neglect what she wants or needs. But that's about to change.


Maria was typing up a report for her boss. She had to stay overtime because one of her colleagues made a mistake, so she's also cleaning up someone else's mess. Typical. She's on her third cup of coffee, her fingers have gone numb an hour before and she's sure she'll go blind soon.
"Why am I doing this again? Oh right, because I promised Jack I'll help him out. Sometimes I wish I learned to say 'no'. It would save me the trouble of staying after work.", Maria thought as she glanced at a smaller pile of paperwork on her desk. Well, she's almost finished anyway, so she took a deep breath before typing up the last few sentences of her report. Now she only needs to email it to her boss and...all done! "Ah, finally! Let's see, it's 9 PM, I can still make it to the store on my way home...", Maria said as she got out of the chair and stretched a bit before picking up her purse.

Her journey to the store was uneventful. She usually took this route since it's a short walk between the store and her apartement. As she was contemplating what to make for dinner while walking to the cash register, something caught her eye. There, on the board near the exit, was an ad. It said: "GOOD WITH A CAMERA? FIND IT EASIER 'TALKING' THROUGH PHOTOS? THEN THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY YOU JUST CAN'T MISS! SHOW US YOUR TALENT AND GET TO WORK FOR US! FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBSITE." As she read, she thought about her secret hobby, photography. She loved taking photos whenever she could and she's quite good with a camera. It's something she was, suprisingly, able to keep to herself. Her one secret.

When she was younger, she imagined being a photographer, working with a camera, creating beautiful works of art. Because it is art in its own way. Photos can tell a story just as well as a painting. Or music. Her parents, as supportive as they are, always told her she needs to get a job that'll bring food on the table. That art in any form won't do her any good. And she caved in, believing they're right. Her friends always talked of great careers, of being lawyers, economists, working for the government, etc. Not wanting to appear 'weird', she found a stable, boring 9-5 job. Typing up reports and working on projects, statistics and often doing other people's work, that was her life. The only person who understood her love of photography was her grandfather, being one himself. He was the one who introduced her to it in the first place, teaching her the basics, and often telling her to go for it, to chase her dream and not listen to other people so much. "Maria, you are your own person, with your own talents and interests. You'll never be truly happy if you live your life based on someone else's beliefs. So try beeing selfish for once!", is what her grandfather would say to her everytime she visited him. And he's right, she knows that, it's just...what if it turns out she's not good enough? What would her parents think, she didn't want to disappoint them, what if...What if. That's just it. The 'what if' tirade her brain often plays like a broken record. Her fear of failure is what holds her back. Her fear of making that one choice, that one decision that could make her or break her- to pursue her career in photography. Instead she's stuck with an underpaid job, long hours, ungrateful boss and colleagues who only use her, and her inability to just do what her heart desires. She's anything but happy. But it seems life's giving her a chance to do just that, to at least try. She took out her phone and took a picture of the ad. She'll sleep on it.


The next few days after that were, in short, awful. She got yelled at her boss for something she didn't do, she spilled coffee all over the keyboard in the middle of typing up an email to their client, her car broke down making her late for work...the list goes on. To make matters worse, her mom called her this evening asking her to help her organise a party for her aunt's birthday this weekend. Today's Friday, her aunt's birthday is this Sunday. When she tried explaining that she's really tired and had a rough week, that she wanted to just sleep away the weekend, her mom used her "I understand, but I would really appreciate an extra pair of hands, it won't take too long, please sweetie?" spiel, and besides she could rarely refuse her mom. She sighed and said an okay before hanging up. So much for relaxing.

On Saturday morning you could find Maria in her parents' backyard, organising plates and glasses for the party. Luckily, the weather is nice, no dark cloud in sight, which made things a lot easier. The only dark thing were dark circles under her eyes, you could tell she was really lacking a good night of sleep. And a good crying session, if she were being honest. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice a presence behind her.

- "Penny for your thoughts?", a male voice asked. It was her grandfather.

- "Grandpa, hi! When did you get here?"

- "A few moments ago, your mother asked (more like ordered) me to bring something for the party. Too much work if you ask me. Now, what's bothering you? You look a bit under the weather. And don't try and convince me you're fine, I might be old, but I'm not blind. You know you can tell me anything." He had a concerned look in his eyes. Maria felt bad, she didn't want him to worry about her. But she did need someone who'll listen to her without interrupting, so she proceeded to tell him the whole story. She even told him about the ad and how she's thinking of sending some of her photos, but she's not sure which photos would be good, if there are any. And of course, as perceptive as he was, he cut her off immediately.

- "What have I been telling you all these years, Mary? Be selfish for once and do something for yourself instead of putting others first! That's just your insecurity talking, you have all you need in order to succeed, you just lack the courage to do so. I understand where it's coming from, but you should start living your life for YOU and chase your dream 'til the very end. And what's that nonsense about not having good photos? Tell you what, come by next week and we'll make a portfolio together. When's the deadline?", her Grandpa asked while Maria gaped at him. It actually slipped her mind to ask him for pointers or to help her choose the best photos. For the first time that week, she smiled contently.

- "Ah, it's until next Wednesday. But are you sure I can pull it off? I mean, I know how to use a camera, but I've never worked as a photographer before, so I don't have that much experience. I'm not sure...", Maria said, still being indecisive. Maria's grandfather just gave her a look that said enough. He believed she can do it and he'll help her get there. They'll create the best damn portfolio anyone's ever seen! And they have more than enough time for it. Now, to survive this hell called a birthday party...he's getting too old for this.


Sunday party went well, Maria's aunt was impressed with the decorations, the food, oh, and the cake was delicious! Though she looked a bit apologetic when she heard Maria and her mom made most of the preperations. Nevertheless, it was great.

It was now Monday and Maria was on her way to her Grandpa's house. She asked her boss if she could leave early, which surprisingly went without a hitch, her boss didn't even complain! Strange, but welcome.

At her Grandpa's place, they laughed and cracked jokes about their family members, drank hot cocoa and went through Maria's photos. It was actually pretty hard choosing only 10 of them (as required), considering all of them were, in her Grandpa's words, simply amazing. He was proud of her, seeing her talent show through these photos. And he was glad she decided to take this opportunity to do something she loved. She owed it to herself.

When they made her portfolio, Grandpa made her email them in his presence, lest she chicken out at the last moment. She did so, albelt reluctantly, saying she wouldn't chicken out. When it was finally done, she felt excited, since this was the first time someone other than her grandfather will get to see her photos. The ad said the company will choose five candidates and contact them in six days. She couldn't help but pray that she'll be one of those lucky ones. "Please, just this once, let it happen..." , Maria thought to herself, hoping for the best. Those six days will be the longest six days of her life.

Life has a funny way of making up to those it put through trials and tribulations for so long.


Three days after sending her portfolio, Maria's phone ringed. She just got home from the grocery store and she forgot her phone at home. Who could be calling her at 6:30 PM, she wondered. As she picked up, a cheerful female voice answered from the other side.

- "Hello, this is Alice from the 'Eternal Moments', are you Maria Davidson?"

- "Um, yes that's me! How may I help you?", Maria asked, she could feel her heart beating fast. They called earlier than expected, why?!

- "I'm calling to inform you that you're one of the five candidates we chose to hire. Your portfolio was impressive, by the way! If you could, we would like you to come by next week to discuss further details and to sign the contract. Since it's almost the end of the month, you'd begin working at our company in two weeks. Do you have any questions?"

Maria couldn't belive her ears. They chose her? Oh my god, they chose her! She collected herself quickly before replying.

- "I've no questions, it's all pretty clear. Thank you for giving me this opportunity and I hope I'll meet your expectations!"

- "Alright, I'm glad to hear that. We're looking forward to meeting you. We'll talk more next week, but let me be the first to say- welcome aboard, Maria! Goodbye!"

-"Goodbye.", Maria said as the call ended. She was still in a daze, she couldn't fathom that she took a step towards her dream job and managed to get it. She was so emotional that she started crying, out of happiness of course. Her wish came true. She needed to call her grandfather, if it weren't for him she probably wouldn't have done it herself. She was grateful to him, for pushing her to make it all a reality. Oh, she would need to tell her parents too, and this time, she's determined to make them listen to her. She won't be backing down anymore. For once in her life, the decision she made is only hers. And it felt so freeing, as though breathing for the first time. She's moving forward. Her resolve is finally found.


The moral of the story is that sometimes, despite what might happen and what people close to you might say, you just have to get out of your comfort zone and embrace life. That's what Maria did, and you, somewhere out there, should too. It's not easy, it seems scary, but once you do it, you'll be free of the chains that bound you.



© Emee


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