Grandmother's Book

For the last five years, Sara felt like she was stuck reliving the same day over and over. Wake up exhausted, go to her dull nine to five office job, arrived home drained and zone out to tv and repeat. She deeply desired a creative job like writing. But that was a crazy thought and never seemed to fit into this horrible cycle she created for herself. Her father taught her at an early age that she needed to do whatever it took to make steady money, and that is just how the world worked. But today was slightly different, there was a big change in the monotonous routine that she walked through like a robot. Sara’s estranged great grandmother had passed away a month ago, she wouldn’t even have known this occurred if it wasn’t for a small cottage being left to her. Today was the day she would move into the unfamiliar house, attempting to break out of her disenchanting everyday routine. As she woke up she was suddenly hit with a feeling of dread, like a punch to the stomach. Did she become so used to her dull routine that change was impossible now, was she making a horrible mistake leaving her comfortable one-bedroom apartment. She had no time to ruminate over these thoughts anymore as the movers were now knocking at the door.

It had been a long strenuous day, and all Sara wanted was the comfort of her old familiar bedroom that was now long gone. As she paced around her grandmother's house she began to take notice of a few items that were left behind for her. There was an old worn wood rocking chair in the sunroom, a large wooden built-in bookshelf that was still packed full of sad ancient-looking books, And a looming grandfather clock that didn’t seem to be working anymore. As a distraction from the familiar wave of panic she felt creeping up on her, Sara decided to grab a beautiful little black book off the bookshelf. Settling into the chair she noticed it was addressed to her and there was a quote handwritten inside the cover of the journal, “Time is more valuable than money”. She realized that this must have been her grandmother's journal and wondered why was this book written to her. Knowing very little about her late relative, Sara was shocked to find out she also had an apparent interest in writing. The clock abruptly chimed causing her to launch the book across the room. She must have been mistaken, the clock was now ticking. Perhaps she was just so tired from the difficult day that her eyes were playing tricks on her. She mentally made a note to sell the old clock, before getting into bed and falling asleep. 


A couple of days past, Sara had fallen back into the same tedious routine with work. The change of scenery didn’t seem to have the desired effect she had assumed. Slowly settling back into the comfortable bed with a bag of chips and her favorite show, a sudden booming chime made her jolt upright. It sounded like the clock again. She thought back over the past few days and realized the clock had been silent up until now. Could it have been trying to communicate something to her? Wishing she sold it on the first day, she slowly crept down the cold staircase. Upon entering the sunroom she realized the black book was still lying on the ground where she threw it that night. Realizing she was settling fully into autopilot mode again, Sara decided to break the pattern and sit back down with the book.

Flipping through she became puzzled. Each page only had a single sentence, similar to a riddle. What was the point of this book, Why did she leave this for her, and why was she drawn to it. Questions flooded into her mind as she tried to make sense of everything. Did Sara’s grandmother leave this to mess with her? Frustrated she slammed the book back onto the shelf, planning to get rid of all the old items as soon as possible. Not needing a distraction she felt the pull to go back to her familiar life.

Waking up to her alarm, it was just a typical Monday boring morning. At least that is what she assumed as she began her commute to work. Sara was abruptly told to go into the boss's office as she arrived. A place she hadn’t been too often as she always quietly got her work done. A few words short were exchanged and her life came screeching to a halt. The company was letting her go after working there for years. She had dedicated countless hours to this job, more than that, her life revolved around work. In a daze, she stumbled out to her car and made her way home.

Hitting a complete low and having no one to turn to that would understand she felt drawn to wander back into the sunroom and take comfort from reading her grandmother's book. Hoping to find an answer to what to do next. She got lost trying to decode the meaning of what was written on each page and it suddenly became clearer. It was just a silly little scavenger hunt with space to write her experience along the way. Normally it wouldn’t even be an option to waste time on something so fruitless and impractical, but today Sara had a different mindset. She had nothing but time and nowhere to go but up. So she began to dive in deciphering each clue, letting it lead her around the house and property. Enjoying writing in the little black book along the way. Sara had completely lost track of time, Noticing the sun beginning to creep closer to the horizon. She was surprised at her enjoyment. Feeling satisfied beyond what she had felt in a long time and she decided to get an early start in the morning.

Waking up with a drive and excitement like never before she sprung into action ready to continue this puzzle left by her great grandmother. The unknown of what she would find at the end made it even more appealing. The day flew by again and she was delighted as she arrived on the last page of the book. She felt a sense of relief as it led her to the grandfather clock she wanted to get rid of on the first day. Opening the main compartment of the clock her she saw more money than she had ever seen before, Twenty thousand dollars to be exact. But for some reason Sara felt more down than before, the comfort of money is something she was always told she wanted so why was she feeling empty. Looking back into the clock she noticed a small note that read, “It’s not all about the end prize, it’s about the journey to get there. Explore what you love to do and enjoy every second of the process. Here is twenty thousand dollars to help you take time to discover what it is you really enjoy. Love Grandma”.