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It is really amazing how we, human beings, learn sometimes (especially the out-of-school type education). I say so because a while ago I might have seemingly been thinking aloud for I heard my little 8 –year old girl asking: “What amuses you dad?”
You see I had been listening to her granny trying to conjure up some weird stories for her (my daughter) and I was reminded of a fairytale my own granny told me at a very young age – yet its lesson still pulsate in my mind to this day:
Apparently there was this very struggling family in some part of the rural KZN. Talk of different levels of poverty, this family beat them all – a sickly grandfather, unemployed mom, 8 children all swamped into one roundavel. The father worked in the timber plantations – earning real peanuts.
“One day in a cold winter night, the family underwent a mysterious episode,” granny said, widening all her eyes until my heart beat galloped to uncontrolled levels - from fear. “It all started with a heavy storm and within minutes a lightning bolt fell at the centre of the house. In the mist of all the astonishment there appeared a voice from the far end of the house... It was an Angel.”
She said God had sent her to assure the family of his presence and his willingness to assist those who were needy. “But you will have to come to the party” said God’s messenger. “In exactly 55 days from now I would come back – and you will have to tell me your top 5 wishes and God will make them real. But always remember, they will have to be exactly five - no more and no less.”
My granny went into great lengths describing the debates that ensued within the family during those 55 days of waiting – well of cause the mother could not resist to consult with her “Umgosi”, despite making promises that this would be kept within the family. But like everything else, the big day eventually came.
The wife was the first one to speak (perhaps taking the queue from the mother of all mothers, Eve): “I would like to have every type of clothing for me and my children,” she said jokingly – not actually expecting something that ridiculous to happen. In no time the whole house was full of all sorts of clothing gear. “You fool, why did you say that” the man burst, “just imagine what an opportunity you have wasted now?”
“Oh, you are worried that I did not ask for your favourite meal – an ox tongue”. There and there dropped a huge wet ox tongue.” Two wishes gone already.
“I cannot believe this. You really do have a long mouth, I wish that tongue was connected to yours so that you could not speak,” the man furiously avenged and the ox tongue jumped and attached itself as requested and all of a sudden mama had a fashionable tongue. At least now the man has all the stage only to himself.
He asked for R10 000, actually doubting if he could still get it – having even lost count of the number of wishes they had asked for already because of all the confusion. There was a nice sound of a pile of R100 notes - bungled in tens - falling on the ground. (Back then R10 000 would be equivalent to, say R100 000.) The Angel reminded them that there was now only one remaining wish to be fulfilled. The man then requested that his wife’s tongue could now be set free!
Fairytale, yes, but what about the lesson! What would you say were your 5 top wishes if I woke you up from a deep sleep and give you only a minute to think? How sure are you that you would note regret and wished you had another chance just a minute later? We have just started a new year – some of us even started writing the so-called new year resolutions. But how many us will give an account precisely the same as what we have in those resolutions if the Angel had visited us?
What if it was you and your partner on that same stage? Would you two ever agree on the Top 5 Wishes? What would they be? Would they only be material stuff? What about emotional, spiritual and mental domains? Will you also ask for Wisdom? How much money would be just sufficient to ask for?
I quizzed my 12-year old son yesterday and he quickly said “...a corrupt-free South Africa, peace in the world, no pollution, no poverty and no deseases like HIV”. Make you really think heh?
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