Coming Back to Life

By Elilde Browning

Coming back to life is a book consisting of five short stories about the trajectories of five women who had no aims in life and no hope for a better life, but who eventually overcame their hardships and started over a new life. All the stories are based on real facts and they present particular nuances. After reading the stories attentively, we realize that when these women are enduring unbearable suffering, they find a way out. As they are all very determined and courageous and have strong will power, they manage to overcome all the obstacles and difficulties in their life course and become very successful. Some of them achieve extraordinary success. All is not lost in life and we can fulfill anything as long as we want to. We should have confidence in our own abilities and we should never give up. These women are led by this principle mainly when they are facing a new reality which seems to be very far from and beyond their reach. It is worth reading these stories because they will encourage us to reflect upon life. If by chance we face similar situations in life, we will be inspired by these women to be resilient and struggle for a better life. Living is not easy and it will never be, but it is always worth trying because we may encounter some unexpected surprises along our path that might change our life course and make us happy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Editora Appris
• Release date: Aug 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9786525030883

Book preview

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Coming Back to Life

Editora Appris Ltda.

1.ª Edição - Copyright© 2022 da autora

Direitos de Edição Reservados à Editora Appris Ltda.

Nenhuma parte desta obra poderá ser utilizada indevidamente, sem estar de acordo com a Lei nº 9.610/98. Se incorreções forem encontradas, serão de exclusiva responsabilidade de seus organizadores. Foi realizado o Depósito Legal na Fundação Biblioteca Nacional, de acordo com as Leis nos 10.994, de 14/12/2004, e 12.192, de 14/01/2010.

Catalogação na Fonte

Elaborado por: Josefina A. S. Guedes

Bibliotecária CRB 9/870

Editora e Livraria Appris Ltda.

Av. Manoel Ribas, 2265 – Mercês

Curitiba/PR – CEP: 80810-002

Tel. (41) 3156 - 4731

www.editoraappris.com.br

Printed in Brazil

Impresso no Brasil

Elilde Browning

Coming Back to Life

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the staff at Appris Publisher, who contributed to making my book Coming Back to Life a reality.

Dedication

I wholeheartedly dedicate this book to my dear Italian-American friend Domingos Nobile, a notable man for his life trajectory, his business achievements, the fulfillment of his dreams and his unflagging enthusiasm for life.

May he discover that happiness is always beside him because he deserves to be happy!

May time be his best ally when he has to solve problems!

May hope walk alongside him to support him in his struggle for life!

May he never give up dreaming so that his life motivations are everlasting!

May his respect for everyone be a way of understanding all human beings in their essence!

May his dedication to his family and his affection for them always be acknowledged!

May life responsibilities be assumed and resolved according to his criteria!

May he always face life challenges courageously!

May new horizons always open up in his life trajectory!

May difficulties never prevent him from moving forward!

May he live great moments of glory and accomplishments throughout all his life!

May he always be able to overcome life setbacks!

May he find the life examples set by the characters in this book of use to him at some point in his life course!

Thank you, God, for existing!

I also dedicate this work to all the readers of my books entitled Paths of life, Chronicles of an Endless Time and of my articles published on social media networks, in the Noroeste News of Caraguatatuba, São Paulo-Brazil and in the magazine Businessmen.

In addition, I dedicate this book to my family, who makes me strong and courageous, and to all my true friends, who have awarded me their genuine friendship and unconditional support.

Elilde Browning

Preface

Have you ever wanted to start your life over? A lot of people have certainly hoped for a new beginning. Even if you have never shared this feeling, dear reader, you will be able to experience the doubts, anguish, anxieties, hopes and life dreams of those who chose this path. It is all here in the interesting pages of this great book of short stories. While reading it, you will dive into the life stories of five unusual women, who are intriguing, mysterious, passionate and really sincere. They are women who started their lives over with great care, faith, willpower and a lot of struggle. The author presents us with these fantastic stories, whose narrative thread runs through the trajectory of ordinary women who come up against everything that oppresses, suffocates, devalues and humiliates them, forcefully bending their legacies as if they were slaves to a destiny that cannot be changed. Traveling through these stories enables us to share the characters’ dreams, mixing our own emotions and feelings with theirs. We can also enjoy each bit of the narrative to delve into their inner self, their soul, their intimate thoughts and their wishes as if we were alongside weaving their web of emotions and making them larger and more complete.

The descriptions of the settings, the characters and their experiences take us on a breathtaking journey from the interior of Brazil to sophisticated places in Europe. We are allowed to travel along with them and very close to them, as if we were their guardian angels blessing their struggles. While reading such involving and fantastic stories, I was reminded of a beautiful song by an English band from the 1990s called Coming Back to Life. Its deeply emotional and perfect lyrics say at one point:

I took a heavenly ride through our silence,

I knew the moment had arrived,

For killing the past and coming back to life.

To be able to start over again, we mostly need silence, memories of our past and thoughtful reflection on our life course. Coming Back to Life leads us to such a great experience. While reading it, we are allowed to embody these women’s spirit, go through their ordeals and learn from them that it is wise to use our heart when making negotiations in life. As a consequence, our soul will be able to find a new and different path and walk along it bravely and eagerly. It teaches us to surrender to love and to the desire to be happy. If you, reader, wants to take part in such a journey, experiencing great feelings, desires and passions, you should dive into the pages of this book. And allow your heart to come back to life…

Marcelo Maia Cirino

June 18, 2020.

Presentation

Coming Back to Life consists of five short stories based on the life trajectories of five women I have met. They went through different phases in their life courses and it is worth reporting on their experiences so that people realize that when we reach a certain stage in life, we either change or die. There is no middle ground. Each woman presents a different story; however, all of them had the courage to face challenges, uplift their spirits and move on.

In order to entitle the short stories, I took into consideration the situations they had lived, the actions they had performed and the outcome they had achieved.

People tend to surrender to a dreadful life without being aware that their sufferings are invading their soul. They see them as natural and they have no prospect of improvement.

It should be noted that when we are in despair, a striking fact might arise and it will wake us up from a nightmare and make us aware that we must change. Every story presents a turning point, regardless of their main characters’ life courses.

Changes require determination, faith, courage and challenges. Armed with powerful weapons, these women used them masterfully and surprised everyone around them because they were able to take a new path of life.

Some of them wondered if it had been worth paying such a high price to reach the podium of success and happiness whereas others were confident that it had been worth it. After their turning point, they all experienced new emotions they had not expected to be able to live. Life sometimes brings us great moments of pleasure and happiness.

Dear reader, these stories present multiple possibilities of transcending into a world full of feelings where it will be possible to discover new ways to be happy.

Sumário

CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT LIVING

Short Story 01

ISAURA OLIVEIRA - A bravewoman

Story 02

MICHELE NOGUEIRA - An Intuitive Woman

Short Story 03

ESMERALDA ARAÚJO - A life change

Short Story 04

ELISABETE RIBEIRO - Starting life over at the age of sixty

Story 05

LUCIANA CARDOSO - The rebirth of two lives

Conclusion

ATTACHMENT

THOUGHTS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOKS PATHS OF LIFE AND CHRONICLES OF AN ENDLESS TIME

Translator and proof reader - Lúcia Ely Paiva

CONSIDERATIONS

ABOUT LIVING

That was a morning like so many others by the sea. The lonely sea broke its waves on the shore, ignoring whoever walked along it or admired it. The light blue sky was clear and the sun was rising. The lush green vegetation in the mountains seemed to be greener because it had been wetted by the rain the night before and now the early morning sunshine reflected on the small drops on the leaves, casting bright glows over them. Nature is splendid, it always surprises us!

I sat down comfortably on the beach and started to reflect upon life: we can live for a long time without realizing that life could have been different, exciting and pleasurable. But it is never late to start it over. After twenty years, I managed to get out of this nightmare and open the door to the world. I started to get together with people and have good or bad experiences coming from the outside world. The worst death takes place when our soul is indifferent to everything that surrounds us.

Life is a constant challenge. Being at its mercy fills our souls with courage. We live in this world and we have to take part in it, relate to people around us. If we are detached from the world, we miss the privilege of living new experiences. I understand that not all of them are positive and enjoyable; therefore, we must be attentive. But life is like this: every individual expresses their inner self, their passions, disenchantment, doubts, sorrows, joys and such a blend of feelings is what makes living an enchanting experience.

We have different skills: some of us can paint watercolors or are good at the ancient art of mosaic whereas others write books, poetry or songs. Some dedicate their lives to helping the needy whereas others write songs and sing them conveying messages of encouragement to those who are depressed in order to cheer up their souls. We are all helpful to each other regardless of our jobs or skills. Every professional within their aptitudes regards individuals and the world differently, but they all together, homogenously condensed, bring humanity everything we need to make this world magnificent.

One interesting aspect of living that should be highlighted is that our outlook and perspective on life and our attitude towards it depend on all the experiences, knowledge, expectations we have gained throughout our life course. One day while I was walking down an avenue in Paris along with an architect and a housewife, we talked about trivial matters. The architect, my friend Francesco Domenico, was praising the beauty of the architectural features of the buildings around us when suddenly my friend Júlia Mascarenhas, a housewife, said, If I lived in a place like this, I certainly wouldn’t need to get out of my house because I’d be able to see everything that’s going on around me from the window. It was a simplistic view, but it was in agreement with her way of thinking.

Diversity is a key factor that makes the world interesting and creative. Imagine how boring and monotonous it would be if everyone looked alike and behaved in the same way. Its beauty lies on the wide array of differences in thinking, acting and solving problems spread all over it.

I turn my thoughts to a great friend of mine called Alberto Cardoso, a psychiatrist. He dedicates his life to his profession and he seeks to diagnose the disorders that affect his patients’ behaviors and lead them to live in their own world. He is introspective, restrained when he speaks and endowed with heartfelt sensitivity. He is able to unravel the human mind in a surprising way. He is very dedicated to his profession, constantly studying, attending conferences and upgrading his know-how. As he is exposed to a lot of nuances of different behaviors every day, he is involved in indecipherable situations, and sometimes he does not bother to know when these emotions are real or imaginary.

One day, he said to me, The human mind is a labyrinth of surprises. When we think we’ve found a way out, we might get lost and make things even more confusing. And when the mind is connected to feelings, our feelings transcend our rational thinking, making it difficult to reach an accurate diagnosis. The way we see and feel the world is unique and non-transferable. Like our fingerprints, each of us has their own pattern.

Although there are billions of people living all over the world, we are individuals with particular characteristics. We have our own stamp even if we might share some similarities with others. In addition, we have our own way of being and acting. Even if we have lived with someone for a long time, we may be surprised by attitudes that we have never thought would happen. People may change their behavior depending on a series of physical, emotional, psychological or environmental factors.

As adults, we are the result of an existence that started in our mother’s womb. The traumas and frustrations that we experience at different stages of life are sometimes hidden in compartments of our brain and they might eventually arise causing us conflicts and affecting our thoughts.

As the Greek philosopher Socrates once said, Know yourself! Do we really know ourselves? Our attitudes as well as the way we behave in some situations surprise not only us but also the ones who are next to us. Raising awareness of who we really are in our inner self and accepting it is not an easy task. A lot of people tend to react impulsively in some circumstances, deeply hurting their peers’ feelings without an apology or beyond remedy.

Every human being should follow the writings of their own life in order not to lose their way. They should not abandon their propositions even if they are not sure of their successful outcome. I acknowledge that such a strict behavior is not always possible because we are influenced or persuaded by other people and this external interference raises questions and doubts in our mind. We are not an island in this world and in one way or another we assimilate everything that happens around us. Moreover, as we are extremely curious, we become easy preys and our curiosity leads us to get involved in situations that are not in our script.

Having a strong character and being aware of what we want help us walk along our life paths without being dazzled by situations which are apparently real despite being actually fictitious and doubtful.

Dreams are necessary and imperative because without them life lacks meaning and goals. Setting a target for our life makes us hopeful. In my book Chronicles of an Endless Time I wrote, The world belongs to those who dream, struggle and persevere. Victory will inevitably come because it walks alongside special people’s lives and they will be applauded at the end of their journey. Interestingly, it knows who it should follow. Wisdom is indisputable.

One afternoon my son phoned me and during our conversation, he asked me about my health. I replied, When we have dreams and projects to fulfill, health is on standby, expecting to be happy too.

I remember receiving an awful message from an acquaintance who had heard that I had written a book. It said, Never will you be able to have your book published. Besides being very expensive, it is very difficult to enter the exclusive world of literature. After some months, when the book came out, I sent him a copy with a dedication saying, When dreams come true, happiness invades our soul and remains there forever.

It was once said, "Have great dreams so you won’t lose sight of them. Dream and visualize them being fulfilled. Experience each step enthusiastically, being confident that they will eventually come true. Run away from the distressing word fear because it frightens us and diverts us from the targets we want to meet. Send it far away where it will never be found."

Acknowledged as a remarkable thinker and one of the most interesting men in the 20th century, Julius Évola once wrote, The traditional woman, the absolute woman, the one who did not live for herself, who dedicated her life to others with simplicity and purity, felt fulfilled, she belonged to herself. Displaying genuine heroism, she was considered to be superior to ordinary man. However, the modern woman, focusing on herself, was destroyed.

Short Story 01

ISAURA

OLIVEIRA

A bravewoman

Those who saw that stunning confident woman, aware of her sixty years of age, radiating happiness while she was attending a meeting with some other powerful businesswomen could never imagine the problems and hardships she had gone through years before. Her name was Isaura Medeiros, but she was called Isa by her close friends.

Born into a traditional family, she was brought up to be a wife and a mother who would welcome all the children God might send her. Fortunately, she had only three children. It was enough to affect her figure because she had put on a lot of weight. She displayed located excess fat, stretch marks, muscular flaccidness and other physical changes that seemed to be normal for her.

She did not notice those changes because she was so involved in living for her family and a few friends that she unconsciously accepted them all naturally. She did not even know that there were other choices in life. She was restricted to that narrow world, without spotting another reality.

Day after day, she dedicated her life to her beloved family, forgetting her own existence. If she had got free from such extremely rigid dedication, she would have been able to see the world from another perspective and to experience life more intensely.

Her husband, Osvaldo Medeiros, was a successful professional in information technology. He owed his success mainly to his wife’s support and dedication. She looked after his clothes carefully so that he always looked well groomed, tended to his healthy meals served precisely at the right time, took care of their house, keeping it very neat and pleasant, and cared for their children, meeting all their needs. Their life went by peacefully and smoothly without any hassle.

She had never been concerned about how much her husband earned or about paying bills. In her view, it was traditionally the husband’s responsibility as he was considered the family breadwinner.

She used to meet her partner’s sexual needs without complaining, even on those days when sex was terrible for her. Being obedient and submissive was one more duty that she performed without complaining. People get used to everyday routine and they do not realize that they have their back turned on the world. Sex is beneficial and pleasurable to people when there is a symbiosis of feeling and thinking between them. Out of this context, it is torture and violence.

While time passed, their children, Julia, Alfredo and Susana grew up peacefully in that apparently perfect home.

Regardless of how she felt or what she wanted to do, she got up at six o’clock every morning to start her daily chores. She looked after her family members until they went to sleep at eleven p.m. When one of them got sick, she would be up until very late at night. She was their guardian angel. However, when she got sick, the world seemed to collapse. Her husband and her children felt lost and confused because they could not have what they wanted or needed immediately at hand. They could rely on her - their mainstay – to meet their needs as precisely as a clock.

Years went by and time followed its path obliviously to everything else. Nobody has the right to stop time. It does not care about our existence. Aware of its power, it goes by confidently. Under no circumstances, does it give any feedback. It is superior, proud and detached from any mundane feelings. However, we must be attentive to every second passing. Otherwise, we are likely to miss the opportunities they are bringing along to us. Time is deaf to our complaints or whining. It is inflexible.

Her children grew up, studied and got a university degree, got married and left home. Julia got a degree in architecture and became a successful professional. She got married to Clodoaldo Assunção and they moved to California in the United States because he worked for a multinational company there. Alfredo was a geriatrician and he got married to a Japanese girl called Akemi Kimura. They had met at the medicine school and after their marriage they went to live in Japan. Susana got married to Juvenal de Almeida and she was a housewife. Her husband was a very authoritarian and strict man with very rigid principles and he was the owner of a shoe manufacturing business in Rio Grande do Sul.

After her children left home, Isa did not have to undertake as many tasks or household chores as she used to. She started to have a lot of free time. She looked for something to fill in that void in her life. However, she lacked creativity and she was not able to come up with something new to do because, as she had lived a boring routine for many years, she had been deprived of any novelties. She lived in an automated way without any chance of changes.

Absorbed in his professional commitments, her husband was usually away from home and Isaura’s days were usually very long and extremely distressing. As a consequence, she treated herself to food. She cooked