Greetings and good morning to all friends. It's already Wednesday the heaviest day of the week, at least for me 😅. I say that because this day I don't know, it feels like neither the beginning nor the end of the week. I'm sure you guys understand what I mean. So friends to make the day lighter I have decided to bring you a new story. This would be the third one I've written. If you like this one you can take a look at the other 2 when you finish reading this one.
Today I am going to dedicate this one to a very interesting letter, I am talking about 104 Stu. I hope you like it. Let's start then.
Image created by me in canva
Stu had spent his whole life in a kitchen, among stoves, pots and pans and more pots and pans. The truth is that this kitchen seemed to have an atmosphere of its own, almost as if it were alive. Needless to say, it's a hot, noisy place, with constant pressure building up with every customer order that comes in. For him, it's as if the situation is about to explode. But you know for all his friends and colleagues it was hard to imagine that this chef, with his rough and almost always serious air, would ever have had any other dream.
Few people know that in his youth, Stu wanted to be a drummer. For him it was not just a passing hobby, in fact he practiced for many years in the garage of his house. There he learned to play the drums and several other instruments very well. He had it quite clear, he wanted to be a renowned drummer, but of course life always has different plans for one. In his adolescence he even played in bars, clubs and friends' parties. It is true that not many got to hear him at the time or appreciate his talent. But those opportunities for him were as if he was giving a concert full of people. The truth is that it made him feel fulfilled even though he didn't have much fame.
But as I said before, sometimes life has different plans than the ones you have, and in Stu's case, from one moment to the next, life took a 360-degree turn. First, his father became ill, and his father's business of selling fried foods and soft drinks was suddenly taken over by Stu. He simply could not go off to pursue his dream of becoming a musician, leaving his ailing mother, sister and father without a livelihood. He now had a great responsibility. His mother couldn't work because she had to take care of his father and his sister was still too young.
But his father's business of selling food was already well known in the city and had a good reputation. That was a more secure income than playing music on the street without knowing if that day would bring money for the house. The thing is that little by little, the dream of being a musician was falling further and further behind.
As the months went by, music was the first thing to give way, yet Stu thought he would return to it someday. But, his father's illness was getting worse and worse and he needed more and more money to treat his health problems. It got to the point where the money Stu was generating in the business was only enough for medical treatments. Then the family found themselves in a financial bind, they had practically nothing to eat. In this situation Stu found it necessary to support his family in other ways, his father's business was no longer enough.
So he began to look for work in some restaurants in the area. Fortunately for Mateo, a close friend of his father's was the personnel manager of one of the best restaurants in town and when he heard about the family's situation and that Stu was looking for a job, he immediately talked to the manager about hiring him. The manager said yes, no problem. Mateo then quickly notified Stu to start work the next day.
The salary in the kitchen was much better than what he was earning in the fry business, so with this new income the family began to get back on their feet. At first, Stu did it out of necessity, but as the years passed his father and mother passed away because of his age and his sister married and moved in with her husband. At this point Stu again had the opportunity to pursue what he always wanted, but he simply felt he had no strength to continue with that idea of youth.
Again, many more years passed and the kitchen became his life, although, from time to time, he was reminded of the drums he loved to play in his garage and at parties. Sometimes, when he heard a song on the radio he would say, “That could be me,” he would say it almost as a lament or perhaps a regret. The thing is that one night, a young man came into the restaurant. They didn't know each other, nor was it a planned visit, but something about his attitude made Stu look at him in a different way, he still didn't know why.
The boy, barely in his twenties, sat at the bar and not at a table, and since they were the only ones in the restaurant that day they got to talking while the food was being eaten. The young man told him that he really liked music and that he had dreams of becoming a drummer or possibly forming a band in the future. But due to some difficulties he was rethinking those desires.
After the Young Man told him this, whose name was Elian by the way, Stu said, “You know, I wanted to be a drummer when I was younger too. But things get complicated, and you have to make decisions. What I say to you is don't give up the career, do what you can, but don't let them take it away from you. In my case I gave up music, but that doesn't mean you should. When you get a chance, go for it, go back to the drums, don't let it slip away.
The young man looked at him, a little surprised, and nodded wordlessly, the truth is that those words, simple, had touched him more than Stu had imagined. That night, as he was closing, the young man asked him if he could stay a little longer, Stu agreed. At that point Elian offered him some drum sticks he was carrying in his bag. At first, he played on some pots to try it out, he did it with insecurity, as if time had taken away his ability. But then, little by little, the music began to flow again. The sound of the pots and dishes didn't sound as good, but for a moment Stu thought he was playing the drums again.
You could tell that all the old times came back to his mind again and the truth was an experience he enjoyed very much. At the end, when he put down the drumsticks and the restaurant returned to its usual silence, Stu looked at the young man and, with a slightly sad smile, said: Don't let life take it out of you, okay? Play when you can. You have no idea how hard it is to live with music only in your head.
The young man again nodded wordlessly, knowing that this advice was something much deeper. Stu watched him as he walked away down the street, and in his mind he gave thanks for that moment of happiness he had had. He counseled Elian well because he knew it wouldn't be easy to live a life knowing you didn't fulfill what you wanted most, he had his chance but turned it down in the past.
That night, as the restaurant closed, something changed in Stu, it wasn't a grand gesture or an epic decision but, on the way to his apartment, something inside him pushed him to enter the old closet, where he still kept the drumstick he had left years ago. He took it with trembling hands, as if it were a practically forbidden object. He sat down in front of the drums, which he still had in a corner that was all rusty and full of dust. Without much thought he began to play it, the first beat sounded strange and yet very familiar at the same time.
The drumsticks hit the cymbals somewhat clumsily, as if his body had forgotten the rhythm. But it was enough. Music filled the small room, and in that simplicity, Stu understood that life didn't need to be perfect or follow a predestined path. What really mattered was that he had returned to playing, for himself, regardless of money or applause. He had rediscovered that part of himself that he thought was lost forever.
But you know friends the music didn't end that night. True, there was no standing ovation and no band contract. But the sound of his drumming reminded him that it's never too late to follow your dreams, even if they are delayed. He learned that it's not always about getting what you want, but finding a way to integrate those dreams into your day-to-day life, without letting life take them away from you.
Dear friends this has been my post for today. I hope you liked Stu's story. I really enjoyed writing it, so I would love to know your opinions as well. Thank you very much for reading, I wish you all a great day.
Translated with DeepL.com
