The Secret Of Hawaii

Robert lost his gaze at the turquoise waters where a great wave was rising at that moment. It was ridden by a young man on his surfboard with prodigious poise. Then he lowered his eyes to the white sand and sighed.

She had taken that vacation to Hawaii to recover from a disgust that had robbed her of appetite and sleep. Finding out that his consulting partner was secretly diverting clients to his own company so as not to share the profits had made him lose faith in people.

After closing the shared office for a decade, he had needed to get away from it all. But not even this paradise eased his bitterness.
“Aloha!” -Said a soft voice behind him.

Robert turned around in surprise. On that beach that he thought lonely, a dark-skinned woman of indeterminate age seemed to have been watching him for a long time.

“I don’t need anything,” he said irritably, thinking that he was trying to sell her a souvenir.

-Are you sure? She asked him with a smile.

-Of course I am!

“You seem angry at the world.”

“Well, you’re wrong,” he answered reluctantly. The world doesn’t care. I’m certainly mad at someone. In fact, I’m furious, but that’s none of your business.

“And apparently not yours either, from the way you talk …”

Robert was about to send this indigenous woman who dared to intrude on his life, but there was something about her that inspired him with confidence.

“In what way do I speak?”

“As if your anger was caused by a storm that you did not cause.”

“It’s just that I didn’t provoke it!” I have been betrayed by who I considered my partner and friend. That’s why I’m here. I do not want to know anything from anybody!

Instead of retreating because of that tone, the woman put her hand on the stranger’s shoulder and said:

“It is your right, but before continuing to burn alone, let me tell you a secret of these islands.”

Robert looked at her curiously. It was clear that he was not going to leave by good, so he decided to listen to what he had to say.

—In Hawaii we learn something from a young age: somehow you are responsible for what happens to you.

In complete disagreement, the foreigner explained roughly what his partner and partner had done behind his back.

The woman listened to him attentively and then replied:

– What he did does not matter now, because it does not depend on you. Instead, it will be very useful to know how you contributed to that happening. Could you have done something different so that you were not in this situation now?

Robert was thoughtful and finally answered:

“I suppose I should have been more suspicious.” Perhaps years ago he found the clients that we “lost” and I had not found out.

“You’re responsible for not paying attention to the customers who were leaving, okay, but now think of something positive that you could have done and didn’t do.”

“Let me think …” he murmured, more unsure. Well, the truth is that I have never liked the commercial part and I delegated the acquisition of clients to my partner. He always complained about that. He said that I never picked up the phone to get new contracts. I guess I was more comfortable taking care of day-to-day work than future clients.

-Excellent! Are you feeling calmer?

Robert nodded without understanding. Was it the indigenous woman’s peaceful tone that had restored him to calm? She took it upon herself to let him know that it was something else:

—Assuming your responsibility brings you peace, because it gives you the opportunity to repair your mistake on your part … What would you do differently if you could go back in time?

“I would have picked up the phone more times, as my partner asked.” We would also have distributed the work more fairly. I guess staying with clients was his way of making up for what I didn’t do. Which is not to say that it is well done.

“Do not turn away from yourself and tell me: what could you do now to repair what you did not do well?”

“I could e-mail him and tell him I understand what he did, but not the forms.”

-That’s fine. Do you think you could do something else?

“Wish you luck in your solo journey.”

“That’s great if you do it from the heart.” Write that email and you can enjoy your remaining vacations and come back renewed. Forgive your friend and forgive yourself. Only then will you be free.