Vanya Wryter Consulting Services

Category: Stories

  • Would you prefer a long boring life or a short adventurous one?

    Would you prefer a long boring life or a short adventurous one?

    Facing a pack of wolves while on a hike, climbing up a mountain in subzero temperatures, chasing dangerous criminals, investing in the stock market… these are all examples of a lifestyle a writer would prefer to experience from behind a laptop. The question of lifestyle preferences is what got me thinking: would you prefer a long, boring life or a short, adventurous one?

    Daily writing prompt
    What bores you?
    View all responses

    The answer to that question, of course, depends on the answer to another question: what bores you? As you know, I’m a writer, so I get excited over a new book to read, and I’m happy when I have the perfect cup of tea to enjoy during a quiet afternoon. I prefer to read about other people’s adventures exploring the Amazon Rainforest, crossing the North Sea, or discovering who (or what) lives in that haunted house across the street.

    There is a line in the movie Troy which I don’t remember word for word, but it goes something like this: Achilles’s mother says if he doesn’t fight at Troy, he can have a family and his children and grandchildren will remember him for a few generations before his name disappears. He can have a long, predictable life. If he fights at Troy, he will die young but he will be remembered for thousands of years as a gallant soldier and hero.

    Some people want to take risks to do what they love, such as climbing Mount Everest, traveling to risky destinations around the world, or participating in risky sports.

    Some people can’t take risks or do whatever they want because they have children, a spouse, or aging parents who depend on them. Sometimes the choice is ours, and sometimes it isn’t, depending on our life situation. People with responsibilities need to play it safe. They can’t risk their savings on cryptocurrency or invest thousands of dollars in a new startup company.

    What one person thinks of as a boring life, another person does not. We don’t know what challenges another person is facing, such as disabilities that are invisible to us. Or a long-term illness. That reclusive neighbor who is always at home might be dealing with trauma, and it is a huge achievement just to go out with a few friends.

    Some lives are cut short as a result of an accident or illness. But if they had a good life and they fought a good fight to keep going, it’s still a great life. Sometimes you don’t get to choose.

    So is it better to live a long, boring life or a short and adventurous one? This would depend on what you want out of life. What is boring to you? What is fulfilling to you? Either choice is good. If you can look back on your life with a smile, then you’ve done well.

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  • How to Find True Friends: One of the Best Gifts I Ever Received

    How to Find True Friends: One of the Best Gifts I Ever Received

    Daily writing prompt
    Share one of the best gifts you’ve ever received.
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    One of the best gifts I ever received was a bottomless wallet. When I first got it, I thought the money inside it was the best thing in the world, but instead, I discovered what the real gift was.

    One day, I found an abandoned wallet on the street and opened it. Nothing was inside. My friend, standing across from me, said, “Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a thousand dollars in there?” 

    “Yes, but it’s empty,” I said, opening the wallet again to show her, and saw several bills inside. Hundreds of hundred dollar bills, totaling a thousand dollars. “I can’t believe it!” I exclaimed. 

    “It’s magic!” My friend took the money out of my hand. “I’m buying a purse and some jewelry,” she said. “I can finally afford to!” And she ran off.

    “Hey, wait for us!” I said. Stunned, I stared at the empty wallet in my hand.

    “What if there’s a hundred-dollar bill in there?” My other friend was still standing around.

    “No way.”

    She took the wallet from my hand, opened it, and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. 

    “Maybe you should ask for more money,” I said.

    “No, this is enough,” she smiled. “Want to go get some food? Let’s celebrate our good luck with a fancy dinner,” she said.

  • Do You Think About the Future or the Past?

    Do You Think About the Future or the Past?

    Daily writing prompt
    Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?
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    You can tell someone’s age by how much they think about the future or the past.

    I’ve noticed that teenagers and people in their twenties talk about the future as if there is a lot of time ahead of them. They have post-secondary education goals, first career-related job discussions, and first romantic relationships. They ask questions such as: How do I start my career? How do I know if he likes me? How do I know if she’s my future spouse? Where should I travel? The world seems new and they want to try things out and explore it. Sometimes they act like they are invincible. They have memories of childhood, school, and first-time life experiences.

    People who have reached middle age seem to talk equally about the future and the past. They realize they shouldn’t waste what time they have left. Either they are at the peak of their career and financial stability or they plan to get there soon. Their children are grown or will be grown. They are thinking about retirement plans. Fighting the aging process themselves while taking care of aging parents. Behind them, they have more memories and years than they did in their twenties. They remember friendships and romances that didn’t work out. They’ve been to weddings and funerals. They fondly remember what it was like to be young and invincible back when they didn’t hear of so many tragedies. Most importantly, they feel empowered by their life experience.

    Seniors talk about the past a lot. They reminisce about how life used to be, how much things used to cost, and all the wonderful memories of the people they had known and the places they had been over the years. Their memories are like a finished book that they can open and read. They value the preciousness of time because the chances they had to accomplish what they could are mostly behind them. Seniors in their 90s and 100s value each additional morning because they don’t know how many more of them they have remaining.

    So to return to the question, “Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past?” I think it depends on the individual, but certainly, your age affects how long the path stretches ahead of you and how far it goes behind you.

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