Only she would know..

  The sun seems to be the hardest worker in the universe! Was what she was thinking, as her mother halted the car in the parking lot. They didn't have much time to waste, so they hurried through the path way, past the wide entrance of the moderately sized building and into the lobby which was quite attractive. "First floor, second room to the left", the eager receptionist shouted out, as mother and daughter tried not to skip a beat. Strangely enough, everyone seemed to be on an off, that Wednesday morning.

 8:13, she checked her watch and looked at her daughter one last time, just to make sure she was doing the right thing. 'I'm doing this for my little doll' was what was circling in her mind as she felt a sudden gush of emotional weakness inside, trickling from down her throat into her chest.

Just then, there was a click and the door opened in front of them. She wiped away the tears across her cheeks, took a deep breath and walked in, clutching her daughter's hand. 

'Good morning Ms. Menezes. It's good to see you. I'm glad you have finally made your decision. You don't need to worry, this won't be long", said the man who opened the door. She nodded, trying hard not to allow her eyes to moisten again. "Stay here darling, I'll be back soon." She said to her.

Ten minutes later she returns clasping a receipt in her hand saying out loud to her daughter who was gleaming back at her, "I've done it!" 

Ms. Menezes (23), just as she desires to be addressed, is a single mother who lives with her only child (5) in the country side far away from the supposedly literate and accelerated city life. All her childhood termed as the 'retard', her special teachers managed to give her the strength to persist against the tide and do something other than just sit at home with craft and games. 

Life moved on and found herself in a very challenging situation. In spite of being deemed 'capable' of having a normal life, she got no support. On the contrary was taken advantage of. 

That day, with all the courage and will power she could possibly muster (though being the first time without her personal mentor Miss Pereira), went ahead and enrolled at that elegant and well renowned music school, to learn the piano, only so that she could accompany her little daughter while she sang her favourite songs at night. 

What mattered to her most, was being there for her little girl. She was a guardian angel, teacher, best friend and above all, a mother. 

Hidden happiness

 She looked straight into the HD camera focused at her and beamed with utmost joy, showing all her little teeth. The steady warm breeze gently touched her neglected hair as the rays of the burning sun from right above rested on her unopposed skin, while eagerly standing there with a tattered dress which seemed to have lost it's color years ago.

This unusual scene, not surprisingly, got the foreign onlookers captivated with a certain sense of empathy. I, myself, not so much of an emotionally-attached character, would have just glanced and switched my gaze in the direction I was walking, if it had not hit me straight on the head that day.. 

I was in Rajasthan on one of my official trips when I realised how irrationally I was going about with things. Though life was throwing things at me, I was unsatisfied with what I was receiving. I needed elevation. So I was constantly planning and breaking my head, calculating steps to reach a better position - just like playing chess. Make a move, which leads to another, half of them earning me failure, entering into a string of 'unsatisfactory' moves...which ultimately finishes with 'the last man standing'. Is that really what I want my life to be? A series of robotic moves... to be left standing there all by myself, only claimed as the winner. Is that it? 

This little girl who hardly had two meals a day was enjoying herself in that very moment. I could sense that genuine eagerness and that thrill to have someone click her photo, or even if it was just a warm hello. I don't think she cared about impressing her high-profile neighbour, buying the best gadgets, attending the pre-monsoon parties, having a thousand likes on your latest instapic or worrying about how outdated her wardrobe is. I doubt she even knows what Facebook means. I'm in no way undermining her situation though, each one has his own sour candy to chew on..

To her, life was about having moments and more importantly, embracing them as they come; instead of living a fabricated life : one with a purposeless game-plan and an imaginary accomplishment (like the chess game we were playing*). Real joy remains invisible to us because we choose to look else where.

So, you could wash all that self-gratifying garbage off, open your eyes, take in a long gulp of fresh air, go out and start being human with a heart. The choice is yours. 

Look around, there's love to be found!

Live 

Love 

Laugh 

Repeat.

*Note : I'm not against chess. In fact I love the game. I just am very fond of using analogies so I apologize if I hurt any sentiments by doing so.

Image credit : Rahul D'souza 

https://www.facebook.com/rahuldsouzaphotography