tales for dreamers: the call for validation
You can express your appreciation by ringing the bell. Will you? That is one question, yes. But the real question is not whether they pleased you enough to merit your appreciation. The real question is something else altogether.
The sign is clear. It leaves no room for doubt.
Whoever put it up seeks validation. They yearn for your approval. It would make their day if you simply stepped up and rang the bell.
Did what well? you ask.
That depends on you and what you came here for.
If you came here seeking solace, did they offer that to you?
Are you leaving with a gentler heart and a calmer mind?
Then yes, they did a good job and you can ring the bell to let them know that.
If you came here seeking beauty, did you find it?
Perhaps in the way the pianist’s fingers flew over the keys,
or in the way the roses in the vase filled the air with their fragrance to welcome you,
or in the way the breeze moved, erasing burdens from your soul a sliver at a time?
If you’re leaving filled with a new way to look at the world, then yes, they did a good job and you can ring the bell to let them know that.
But don’t badmouth them if they don’t have what you seek.
Some things are rare to find.
Like true love. Immortality.
Even certainty, sometimes. More often than not, in fact.
It’s not their fault if you come looking for something no one can give you. But if you temper your expectations and learn to rejoice in what’s available, you’ll find that they have a vast array of delightful stuff on offer.
Which is why, there’s never really any good reason to not ring the bell.
Like you, they too are doing the best they can.
Image info for previous tale: The deflated creatures seeking 'fair compensation for hardworking monsters' were lying on the front lawn of a lovely home on Longmoor Drive. They were there last year. Or perhaps, the year before. Time moves strangely in these parts. Which is to say, they're probably long gone by now.