You can, My friend!

Aah! The monsoon again. These rains, flooded roads, moist climate reminds me of something beautiful I experienced last year around this time of the year. An usual working day but was excited because it was our class teacher's birthday and I took the responsibility of her gift. The previous night I made a set of handmade jewelry expecting that gift would make her day special.

So, Yes! It was her birthday and with all the excitement I almost got ready and realized it was pouring outside. "Oh God! What do I do?" starting off on my bike was technically impossible and no cabs available. "Terrible! I can't skip the college today. Her gift is with me. I'll have to go" I thought to myself, packed my bag, took an umbrella and commenced walking. Had to walk a few meters i.e. till the main road to take an auto-rickshaw. Perfect! I got into the auto. "Please hurry up!" I insisted the autowala to ride it faster as I was already running late. I was completely drenched because of the downpour. 

                         
"Terrible! Just Terrible!" I thought, when the water was coming into the auto from the roads.  Oh yes, the city was flooding and the route I had to travel was filled with knee length water and I was already late by an hour. And finally, though I was 2.25 hrs late than the usual college time, completely drenched till the bones, was caught by cold, the gift wrap got wet and torn to some extent too. But what made that day a beautiful and an unforgettable experience? Have you thought about it? 

                                
Well, I'll share. That 2.5 hrs of not so usual journey made me experience and realize a few things which are helping me keep my life smooth and accomplished till date. May be that's just my perception of what I've seen and felt. A man tied a huge umbrella to his bike and was riding in that rain with two little kids dressed in school uniform. The kids looked happy and seemed to be enjoying the slipping droplets of the rain from the points of their umbrella. May be he couldn't afford a closed transport like most of us. They too were equally drenched and probably late for the school but they were happy and enjoyed every drop of that rain. 

                                  
Saw a mommy embracing her child and wrapping up the child in her dupatta with a hope that she protects her child to the maximum possible extent. A man helping his colleague lifting the bike off the deep mud though his formals were getting spoiled. A girl holding her friend's hand and carrying her bag to help her cross the road safely, a group of rich looking youngsters treating each other with a hot roadside cutting chai and capturing those moments, a boyfriend holding an umbrella for his girl while walking maintained a constant blush on her face, a man getting down from the car only to give a raincoat to the beggar sitting on the footpath - drenched & shivering, a group of kids from the near by slum playing in the mud pond.

                                      
There was a girl who stopped her auto-rickshaw to give a lift to those two girls waiting of a bus, also the whole of the traffic taking diversions and giving a passage to an ambulance, my autowala himself giving a leg push for more than a kilometer to an auto which had an engine jam. And so many other things... The gender, caste, religious differences faded away, the line between rich and poor looked erased, every person around spread the non-verbals like they are there for each other. 

                                          
I felt I was surrounded by 'humans'. I was actually surrounded by not just knee length water but also by a lot of humanity, love, joy, happiness, positive energy and beauty. All that uplifted my mood and the delay, wet clothes, slightly spoiled gift didn't matter there after. And when it comes to what I realized, lemme share, there is always a helping hand in our bad times, might be from dear ones or strangers, but there always is a hand to lift you up when you fall... all we need to do is, just look around and ask. For all those who think love is all about romance, or going out on dates, or in the so called three magical words, no, its not! who knows if the person who loves you the most is just around the corner in the form of your parents, siblings, spouse, cousins, best friend, or someone whom you dislike and haven't realized it yet. 

                                            
These short and sweet tit bits of life make it beautiful in their own way, then is it you and me who couldn't see it that way? Can we start counting our blessings and start admiring the little pretties and joys we have and stop worrying about what hasn't come our way yet? Can we not die for a million things happening to us and start living? 

Take a deep breath friend & stay alive! Because,

#WLOO (We Live Only Once)

Preneeja Peelukhana