How do you know that this is your #metoo moment? How do you know that this is a violation? How do you know that you need to raise your voice and say no?
When you are small there is a thin line between good touch and bad touch. Is every child able to identify between both the sides of the line?
I had a very eventful day today – Met three people who are fighting great hardships in life – They spoke to me for hours – And I heard them all. You know what was common between the three – they were all SMILING.
And at the end of the day I SMILED too.
One is around 70 years of age, having spent 50 years in New York teaching, even went on a trek to Kilimanjaro. He walked all the way up till 16,000 feet, called himself irrational yet emotional. He never carries a cellphone, rather to rephrase – does not own a mobile. In this age and times he walks everywhere for hours without a cell to keep. Wow. If I can’t see my cellphone for 15 mins I get nervous. Hats off.
The other one – a doctor himself – is battling to save his father’s life. Not being able to do much himself, he braves it all with a smile. I shared a cup of coffee and a pack of oatmeal biscuits with him. Mind you all the biscuits went down his tummy. I got only one!
The third is engaged in a daily war with the sun. In the end he sees who emerges stronger. Every day and everywhere he faces the heat of the volcanoes and the trembling of the earth but faces all with a smile and drowns them in a sea of chocolates. So that is where the sweetness comes from.
… and one of them told me: “This too shall pass, Geetanjali.”
I smiled and said, “YES.”
Thank you to all of you for showing me a pathway and making me smile.
Alfa – My Sweetheart
At my house, even my dog Alfa, who is not well, greeted me with a smile wagging his tail with great difficulty. So much love. He’s old now and in pain. I could see everything in his eyes…
Every morning he would sit with me in the garden for a tea together, but today he wasn’t able to move… such pain. So I took my cup of tea and went and sat next to him, on his bed.
We chatted for some time and I patted him. He showed me by licking where all it was hurting. With his dopey eyes he looked at me and my heart melted. Then he wagged his tail telling me: “I love you.”
From where I stand, I saw all four of them greeting me with smiles and hugging me, in spite of all that they’re facing. An inspiring day which taught me many a things.
I thank you all and hope we all can simply smile through our rough days and glide through all the rough mountains and seas.
Gee Kaul 