Found an interesting and fun story about Franz Kafka. Is it true? See the Snopes link.
At 40, Franz Kafka (1883-1924), who never married and had no children, walked through the park in Berlin when he met a girl who was crying because she had lost her favorite doll. She and Kafka searched for the doll unsuccessfully.
Kafka told her to meet him there the next day and they would come back to look for her.
The next day, when they had not yet found the doll, Kafka gave the girl a letter "written" by the doll saying "please don't cry. I took a trip to see the world. I will write to you about my adventures."
Thus began a story which continued until the end of Kafka's life.
During their meetings, Kafka read the letters of the doll carefully written with adventures and conversations that the girl found adorable.
Finally, Kafka brought back the doll (he bought one) that had returned to Berlin.
"It doesn't look like my doll at all," said the girl.
Kafka handed her another letter in which the doll wrote: "my travels have changed me." the little girl hugged the new doll and brought the doll with her to her happy home.
A year later Kafka died.
Many years later, the now-adult girl found a letter inside the doll. In the tiny letter signed by Kafka it was written:
"Everything you love will probably be lost, but in the end, love will return in another way."
Embrace the change. It's inevitable for growth. Together we can shift pain into wonder and love, but it is up to us to consciously and intentionally create that connection.
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8 comments:
It makes for a wonderful story - and I can only hope that it is true.
Kafka is one of my favorite writers. I have recently rediscovered his short parable, "Before the Law," later incorporated into his novel, "The Trial." You can read it here - http://literaryjoint.blogspot.com/2014/02/vor-dem-gesetz-by-franz-kafka-before.html - in English and in the original German (the English translation is not great, but gets the meaning across). It's applicable to the tangled mess that is today's impenetrable legal code.
Interesting! I've never heard of this story before, although I've heard of Kafka, of course. If the story is not true, it SHOULD be!
I've read this story each time it's made the rounds on social media. Glad to know it isn't completely fabricated.
If it's a fictional story, it sure doesn't sound like one Kafka himself would have written.
Actually, it reminds me of the possibly apocryphal story of Robert Louis Stevenson giving his birthday to a little girl who had the unfortunate fate to have been born on Christmas.
Kirk - Either one is a feel good story.
Thanks you big softy.
Cloudia - I think some people may disagree. But I like your opinion.
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