Lean Lisa is a rather disturbing, yet quite short story written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Here's their version:
Lean Lisa was not at all like Lazy Heinz and Fat Trina, who would not allow anything to disturb their rest. She burned herself out from morning until evening and loaded so much work on her husband, Lanky Lenz, that it was harder for him than for a donkey loaded with three sacks. But it was all for naught. They had nothing, and they got nothing.
One evening she was lying in bed, too tired to move a muscle but still unable to fall asleep, when she poked her husband in the side with her elbow and said, "Lenz, listen to what I just thought of. If I were to find a florin, and you were to give me another one, then I'd borrow yet another one, and you'd give me still another one, and then I would take the four florins and buy a young cow." The man agreed. "I don't know," he said, "where I'm to get that florin I'm supposed to give you, but after you have the money to buy a cow, it will be a good thing." Then he added, "I'm looking forward to the time after the cow calves, so I can have some good refreshing milk to drink." "The milk is not for you," said the woman. "We will let the calf suck, so it will grow large and fat, and we can sell it for a good price." "Of course," said the man, "but it won't hurt anything if we take a little milk." "Who taught you about cows?" said the woman. "I won't allow it, whether it will hurt anything or not. You can stand on your head, but you won't get a single drop of milk.
Lanky Lenz, just because you are always hungry, you think that you can devour everything that my hard work brings in." "Woman," said the man, "be quiet, or I'll plant one on the side of your face." "What!" she cried. "Are you threatening me! You glutton! You good-for-nothing! You lazybones!" She was reaching for his hair, but Lanky Lenz raised himself up, took hold of both her skinny arms with one hand, then pushed her head into the pillow with the other one. He held her there and let her scold until she fell asleep from exhaustion.
The next morning when she woke up, I do not know whether she continued to quarrel, or whether she went out to look for the florin that she wanted to find.
I rewrote the story and call mine Lisa Ilene. Here's the beginning of my version:
Lisa Ilene was a very ambitious young woman. She had so many ideas that it sometimes got her into trouble. In college, she changed her major more times than her chubby roommate, Trina (a math major), cared to count. I think Lisa Ilene settled on a business major. It’s either that or Exercise Science.
Lisa Ilene was always up to something, whether it was homework for one of her many classes, volunteering at the local 4-H program, or at work on the night janitorial team on campus. She would even rise extra early to go for a run every morning except Sundays. Sunday, as you know, is a day of rest. However, that never stopped Lisa Ilene from baking at least three loaves of bread, visiting at least two women from church, writing in her journal, going for a nature walk, and teaching the Sunday School lesson every other week. No matter how busy she kept herself, Lisa Ilene was still living paycheck to paycheck. Barely making rent. She would save some money here and there, but “invest” it all in one of her frivolous ideas that she was certain would go viral and finally be her big break.
After only three weeks of meeting Lorenzo - a charming and very tall young man in a business class - Lisa Ilene found herself engaged. These two seemed to be made for each other. They both had lofty ideas of entrepreneurship. And, although neither had been successful in any of their respective endeavors previously, they were required to create an actual business for their class.
The night she learned of the assignment she couldn’t sleep a wink. Even given the fact that she got home late from work that night and her body was utterly exhausted. While she could hardly move one limb, her mind raced from thought to thought in attempts to figure out which business to start this time. She could promote a green lifestyle by collecting glass and plastic from her neighbors to ensure it would get properly recycled. She could design wedding invitations. She did love creating beautiful things, but she wondered if she could reach enough engaged people to turn a profit in just one year. She thought about the people she sees on a weekly basis. She thought about the cows that her 4-H kids raised, which pushed her thoughts to ice cream. Making ice cream. She did love cooking and baking. That’s it! She was determined to create a food truck business. She started texting Lenz to tell him her idea, but her eyes couldn’t focus, and her fingers fell limp. She was asleep
Come back next Monday for more!
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