The Hannah May incident

PHOTO PROMPT © Ted Strutz

His question caught her off-guard. The room spun around her and she gripped the edges of the lectern to steady herself.

“Ms Silver, how would you explain the Hannah May incident?”

It was no secret that she had been Hannah’s life coach. A fact that tormented her. Buried guilt rose from past failures. Oversights.

It was she who had encouraged her to push past her fears, return to her love of sailing. She died in the storm of 2004. Neither sailboat nor her body was ever found.

Ms Silver found her voice, “Hannah May was brave enough to follow her dreams.”

100 words

Life coaches are amazingly positive people. And I’m sure they have their demons too. Ones they wrestle with and from which they find their own growth. Whatever the situation, it’s important to face fears that keep you from your dreams or the change you want to make in your life.

Have a happy Wednesday!

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Responses

  1. jillyfunnell avatar
    jillyfunnell

    Maybe your best life coach is yourself. It’s a lot of responsibility to guide people in certain directions but fundamentally I don’t believe Ms Silver made Hannah do anything she didn’t sincerely want to do.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      I don’t think Ms Silver is to blame. And you’re right when Hannah did what she wanted. I was thinking about fears and growth, and this is the story that came out. I guess what happens when it seems our deepest fears have been realised? Do we let it conquer us or continue with what’s important to us anyway? Ms Silver’s response is the answer, I think.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  2. rochellewisoff avatar
    rochellewisoff

    Dear Fatima,

    Hannah May died doing what she wanted to do. A pity it ended badly, but Ms. Silver certainly isn’t to blame as far as I can see. A very rich story in a few words. Well done.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      I agree, it was good intentions and in the end what was meant to happen, happened. Thank you, Rochelle.

      Like

      Reply
  3. Dale avatar
    Dale

    Too often we blame ourselves for things in which we have no control. This is definitely one of them. Hannah May died doing what she wanted!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      And it can haunt us forever, very unnecessarily.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  4. ceayr avatar
    ceayr

    Clever story, nicely done.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      Thank you 🙂

      Like

      Reply
  5. Iain Kelly avatar
    Iain Kelly

    Poor Ms Silver. A lot of guilt to carry around but I hope she can see that it was not her fault.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      It is something she needs to confront within herself and work through, just as she does with her clients. Thank you, Iain.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  6. trentpmcd avatar
    trentpmcd

    Very well written. As you said in the other comments, Ms. Silver is not to blame for anything.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      Thank you, Trent 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  7. Rowena avatar
    Rowena

    Fatima, I really liked how your explored the philosophical issues here and weighed up our accountability or is it responsibility for others. My take also grapples with guilt: https://beyondtheflow.wordpress.com/2018/07/26/guilty-friday-fictioneers/
    I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on my scenario.
    Best wishes,
    Rowena

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      I’m glad you liked it. I was trying to look at things from a life coach’s perspective. They’re the ones always encouraging us to face our inner demons, untangle mental knots. What happens when their own demons crop up? I’m excited to read yours!

      Like

      Reply
  8. StuHN avatar
    StuHN

    Well, Hannah went out, found her dream, and the ending leaves the ones behind feeling the remorse.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      IT’s interesting to see people’s reactions. I had expected some comments along the lines of ‘playing it safe’ in life. Good to see people are very brave and encouraging about pursuing dreams and what’s important to them. Thank you for your comment!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  9. Jenny Kennedy avatar
    Jenny Kennedy

    Great story! I love the themes of facing your fears and personal growth. It’s something I whole-heartedly believe in.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      Thank you, Jenny! It’s something that’s close to my heart too. If we’re not growing, we’re dying as they say.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Jenny Kennedy avatar
        Jenny Kennedy

        Absolutely. And dying blindly.

        Liked by 1 person

  10. Björn Rudberg (brudberg) avatar
    Björn Rudberg (brudberg)

    Sometimes following a dream means taking risks… I assume that Hannah might have overdosed if she didn’t

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      What a thought-provoking comment! Could you elaborate on why she would have overdosed if she didn’t return to sailing? I’m keen to hear more of your thoughts.

      Like

      Reply
  11. pennygadd51 avatar
    pennygadd51

    “Buried guilt rose from past failures. Oversights.”
    These words at the heart of your story suggest that Ms Silver did more than just encourage Hannah May to overcome her fears and sail again. Something that she failed to do haunts her, and her answer to the questioner was, to that extent, dishonest. Did she know, perhaps, that Hannah would freeze at the moment of crisis? You artfully leave us guessing.
    Really well written, Fatima!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      I did hint at something Ms Silver might have overlooked. Exactly what it was, I’m not too sure myself. Perhaps she blames herself for not realising there were signs of incapacity somehow, mental illness (another favourite theme of mine), or lack of sailing skills (though she used to sail before and maybe suffered some trauma). Or perhaps Ms Silver feels responsible but is not really to blame as she couldn’t have known any better. Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Penny!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  12. granonine avatar
    granonine

    I’m not a life coach, but I am a counselor. I can tell you that you have to learn to leave the failures; learn from them, but refuse to carry them with you. It would be too much of a burden, across a lifetime. Instead, rejoice in the successes.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      There is only so much one can do. It is not your mind after all, but someone else’s. I’m glad you are able to relate to this because your experience speaks volumes.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  13. Sascha Darlington avatar
    Sascha Darlington

    Love this! How different!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      Thank you, Sascha!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  14. draliman avatar
    draliman

    A pity the way it ended for Hannah, but Ms Silver did the right thing, encouraging her to live her dreams.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      Dreams are about taking risks after all. Thank you 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  15. Carol J Forrester avatar
    Carol J Forrester

    Great piece. It’s unfortunate that Ms Silver feels she has to live with the guilt but she’s right, Hannah died doing what she loved. We could get hit by a bus tomorrow so avoiding the things we love because the might be dangerous is rarely a good enough reason.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      We have to weigh the risks and benefits, but the if it calls to you – do it for sure. Thank you Carol.

      Like

      Reply
  16. subroto avatar
    subroto

    It’s sad that Hannah died but then not many people are lucky to follow their dreams. Nice one.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      SO true, she was lucky to have experienced her passion one last time.

      Like

      Reply
  17. Keigh Ahr avatar
    Keigh Ahr

    A bit of a stretch as a response to the photo, but you make it work.

    Like

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      Thanks for commenting Keigh. Well the image is just a prompt which depending on the writer can inspire any story. There’s no limit. The dock and the boats in the background led to thoughts of sailing and it sailed from there! I think it worked out well too.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  18. plaridel avatar
    plaridel

    she died in pursuit of her dream. nothing wrong with that.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  19. James McEwan avatar
    James McEwan

    there are many who do the same, they follow their pursuit with passion and on into the extreme – brave souls.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      They are courageous indeed!

      Like

      Reply
  20. theministryofshrawleywalks avatar
    theministryofshrawleywalks

    i like Silver, she did what she thought was right and a tragic accident occurred, this happens. Great writing by the way

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      Thank you so much! We can only do our best with the info and resources we have at the time.

      Like

      Reply
  21. tedstrutz avatar
    tedstrutz

    Yes, well said. Good story.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. tedstrutz avatar
      tedstrutz

      Say, are you familiar with the movie ‘Adrift’, Fatima? The author lives here in Friday Harbor.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Fatima Fakier avatar
        Fatima Fakier

        I am not familiar with it, but a quick google search has my mouth wide open. I pictured Hannah May caught in a storm / hurricane of some sort. Weird coincidence. Thank you for the image, Ted!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. tedstrutz avatar
        tedstrutz

        That’s what I thought happened with Hanna. Tami is still sailing. The movie is a good one.

        Like

  22. yarnspinnerr avatar
    yarnspinnerr

    Dreams seen with open eyes are often dangerous. Delightfully different.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      Thank you, YS!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  23. Russell avatar
    Russell

    Life is full of risks. Better to die trying than not to ever try at all though. A nice tale!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      I agree. Here’s to our dreams!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  24. lisarey1990 avatar
    lisarey1990

    Aw, poor Ms. Silver. I was really rooting for her. Very well-written.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Fatima Fakier avatar
      Fatima Fakier

      Thank you so much, Lisa!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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