Going Home,

She had passed by it so many times, that which sat on a shelf deep inside her, covered in dust. The dust that accumulates when you have self-doubt, the clutter that happens when you lack confidence. As the years passed and she grew from a child into an adult, Her life continued to get harder, By the time she reached the age of 30, she couldn't see it at all anymore so she stopped looking.

until one day...

"Hello, my name is Varun." He smiled. "I believe you dropped this?"

She had been sitting on her knees in the sand for a very long time, the ocean was the only thing that could calm her.

"What is this?" she sighed. "It looks so familiar?"

"This is the little black book that teaches kindness, the little black book that teaches respect," He said. "I have noticed you seem to be lost, you must have dropped this book a long time ago."

She looked out over the sea mostly ignoring him, but he continued to speak.

"This is the book that society gives us early on so that we can succeed in life and make friends. I know this book belongs to you, you are sitting here all alone, and the spine has never been cracked open."

She puffed her cheeks as she poked her finger at a light pink seashell.

"Tell me about your life, How are you, how are you doing? How do you support yourself out here alone?" He asked patiently.

"I am not well, I am not supporting myself, the most I have ever made in a year is about $8,000 - $12,000, on My best year I made $17,000, and this year I made almost nothing." Her voice cracked a little as those words escaped her dry lips.

"I see." He paused. "But you can be successful. I see that in you, I believe you can do anything, you must believe it too, I bet if you tried you could make all that and more, I bet you could even make $20,000 in a single day!"

He slid her long-lost copy of the little black notebook back into her hands.

She opened a section in the back for the first time and disappointingly found the pages to be mostly empty.

"Some things in life there are no shortcuts for. You can not just skip ahead to the ending." He said. "Those blank pages are for you to fill out with the lessons you will learn. One day, I know you will use what you have learned to help others too."

"Help?" She gave a long pause "You are going to help me?"

He nodded as he reached out his hand helping her up from the sand and back onto her feet.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because it is also a book that teaches us patience, perseverance, and understanding, and I have just finished reading mine." He answered.

She dipped her hand into the ocean water for a moment, feeling all of the tiny bubbles tickle over her hand.

"What do I need to do?" She asked.

"You need to change, otherwise life will not change for you." He answered. "First you need to try, you must want to change your attitude to a more positive one, start to believe in yourself, be kind to others, learn to listen, and choose your words carefully when dealing with others. I know that you can do it."

So, She did. Sometime later, She returned to the beach with many friends in tow, to share all of her success and good fortune.