All this while, I have been listening to many painful stories. Some
of them are stories of famous people that everybody knows. Let me just mention
Einstein, the genius. Probably most people know his childhood. He was slow in learning how to speak until his headmaster expelled and, on top of that, cursed he never amount to much. Or I can also mention the smart Oprah Winfrey. That strong and beautiful lady had a tough childhood that we probably would never imagine before when we see her today on TV. Even more, I would love to list down those famous influencing people like Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Nelson Mandela, Walt Disney, Mahatma Gandhi and so on.
Dahlan Iskan will always be there to describe the miserable days of lever transplantation, on the edge of life. Moreover, as not many people know, he started the career as on office boy of newspaper agency, later on became the chairman, and now is the famous BUMN (State-owned Enterprises) Minister of Indonesia. Bob Sadino, that short-pants business man, who expect him as a taxi driver and construction labor years back? We, now, only see him as billionaire who doesn't even bother to count his money. On top of them, there was the Prophet, Muhammad SAW, who we know most of his story. His life was never easy, even though Allah put him on His highest mercy. His life was never easy for us to live with, Man.
Yeah, that is what I have been talking about. The rich, famous, popular, influencing, and successful people who have been through pain in most of their lives. It is just we don't know, or we don't care about. It is just because we see them today, in frame, with all their glories. I see,
their stories might seem so cliché for you, but it was never for me. Never from the very beginning. Because I have heard more than those, even probably you too.
She is my proud Grandmother, who lived in the pain of poverty alone without any companion. She was judged as a miserable widow with two poor daughters. Her story first teach me about living up tough life. How did she sleep for only two-three hours every night, walk miles away every dawn, never complain every moments, and on top of that, teach her daughters courage to success. Then here she is now, still living in the same old house, but with peaceful face every single day. Sometimes she will tell me how relief she is when seeing her children live way better than her back then. I smile and say, you have succeed.
She is my the one and only Mother, who I always proud to be the daughter of. She was living with underestimate as a daughter of poor widow. Her teachers would always put her as substitute although she was the smartest. She was not accepted from a top high school, not because she wasn't capable enough yet she had to compete with the riches. I always remember her stories and big dreams to leave the village and start up everything by her own, without people considering her background and family. And in my vision, she have made it. She is always a successful mother with two children in my eyes.
She is one of the top managers of a huge company. I firstly admire her because of the beauty, position, and wisdom she has. Until she told us her childhood memories, a story that people would never expect to be happened to her. Series of tough-works that I firstly could not imagine are done by those soft and pretty hands. I was almost cry that day, also wondering the same story happened to my Grand and Mom.
The other ones are stories from my good friends. I always feel glad and honored to be trusted to listen to their untold experiences. They all have their own pains. Some still go through, some have already escaped from it. But most amazingly is when I saw them successfully achieve pieces of their dreams. Little by little, slow but sure. I am always touched when they said, "I'm going to be that way and stop living like this." And some of them, one by one, really do make it just as I was always sure they will.
When I'm writing this post, it is not that I have no pain in life. I had and do still have, but it is too small compared to them. It will only be a shame for me to nag about such problems. It will only be so childish for me to curse Allah about what happen in my life. It will only give more pain rather than success. And you know, the best thing is that, their existences are my remembrance: to live up my life as a winner, to not quit but finish everything up to the top. And I hope it won't be only for me, but all of us. Remembrance that pain gave them us success.
