Living in a little community tucked amid East Africa’s undulating hills was a young milkmaid called Naliaka. The community knew Naliaka for her elegance, beauty, and mouthwatering milk she sold from her family’s cows. She would balance a big calabash full with fresh milk exactly on her head as she strolled the sandy road every day.
Naliaka imagined a better existence. She had a modest life, however she often dreamed of herself surrounded in luxury and grandeur. She yearned for a great home, brilliant jewels, and elegant clothing. She thought she would be leaving her modest existence behind one day her aspirations will come true.
One sunny morning, Naliaka started to stray from her calabash full of milk toward the market. She had plenty of time to consider her future; the road to the market was lengthy. Her daydreams became more vivid every step.
“If I sell this milk at a decent price,” Naliaka said to herself, “I will have enough money to purchase a basket of eggs. I will raise the eggs until they hatch into chicks; then, I will sell the chickens at the market for a good profit. I can get a gorgeous goat with the chickens’ money. The goat will have children; shortly I will have a full herd of goats!
The ideas of Naliaka kept taking flight. “I’ll purchase a few cows of my own with the goat sales money. I will never be needed to work once I have that much milk! While I live in a nice home and get dressed in the best clothing, I will pay people to handle the housework. I shall be the village’s envy-inducing model!
Naliaka became more and more enthralled as she visualised her future riches and success. Her stride lightened and her speed accelerated. She saw herself strolling across the hamlet in gold and silk, surrounded by others yearning they could be like her.
Naliaka dreamed of herself proudly flinging her head back after turning down a marriage proposal from the wealthiest guy in the community. She ignored the calabash of milk placed on her head, entranced in her dream. She leaned back in a moment of imagined success, and the calabash dropped out of her hand.
The calabash dropped loudly and ground before she could respond. The milk flowed out and sank into the dry ground, leaving a broken, empty calabash left. Naliaka halted, looking at the broken bits; her heart sank as reality fell all around her.
Her ambitions, her aspirations, had gone in an instant. Everything she had envisioned was gone—the eggs, the chicks, the goats, the cows. Now Naliaka had nothing to show for it as her daydreams had diverted her from the work at hand.
Naliaka scooped up the shattered calabash fragments and tears welled up in her eyes. She realized she would have to go back home empty-handed, without milk for market sale. Naliaka felt self-conscious as she made her way back to her community.
Her mother wondered what had occurred when Naliaka got home as her face was teary-streaked. off her lofty daydreams until the time the calabash slid off her head, Naliaka told the complete tale.
Her mother listened kindly then rested a light touch on Naliaka’s shoulder. “My beautiful daughter,” she added, “we must also remember to live in the present even as desires and aspirations are important. Only if we remain anchored in reality and put effort can our aspirations come true. We run the danger of losing what we know if we let our imaginations go too far.”
Understanding the wisdom in her mother’s comments, Naliaka nodded. She came to see that she had neglected to value the few benefits she already has in favor of her dreams of money and luxury.
Naliaka altered her way of living that day and forward. She kept dreaming, but she also had the ability to balance her aspirations with satisfaction. She never let her head wander too far into the future; she worked hard, enjoyed her everyday chores. She discovered the value of appreciating what she had and of methodically, patiently and carefully building her aspirations.
Gradually, Naliaka’s diligence paid off. She saved enough money to purchase several chickens, and finally she bought a small herd of goats. Naliaka was happy with every little accomplishment even if her development was slower than the huge fantasy she had previously dreamed of because she knew she was creating a better life for herself with every deliberate action.
Generation after generation in the community came to know the legend of Naliaka, the milkmaid. It reminded me that one must also remain grounded and value the moment even when one should dream big and have goals. The actual routes to long-term success are contentment and diligence.
Naliaka therefore enjoyed a pleased and happy life, constantly aware of the lesson she had discovered that fatal day she lost her milk, but she developed the knowledge to have a balanced and peaceful existence.
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