A Stranger who made me smile ...again!

We all have our stories... some believe in sharing, some believe in concealing it somewhere deep within one corner of the heart. In reality it takes a lot of energy to keep your emotions that is attached to your story, suppressed and buried for a long time. Having done the same, I realized that it is not a healthy practice, as your heart always yearns to be heard, but neither you nor anyone else acknowledges this silent cry from within. Ignorance of which leads to a catastrophe.  I am a person who loves to express and share, however, some unfortunate incidents in my life had eclipsed this trait of mine, of which I have always been proud of. But like all eclipses this was also short-lived and today I am delighted to share my story... my experience - a fact and NOT a fantasy!

Not every story is a fairy tale because life exposes us to both good and bad times. When you are struggling hard in life, you are left with only two options - "perish" or "flourish". This is the toughest choice you can ever make, however, if you really make that bold move, you would see an unfamiliar face of life. Hence, it is truly said that "The best stories of life come from the struggles one goes through and to really stand up, one needs to know what falling down is like". If you are true to your heart and you have the courage to rise after you've hit rock bottom, however strong the negative forces be, some magical power always manifests itself in myriad forms, to wilt the energy of fear and offer strength - sometimes by unleashing your hidden powers or sometimes by personifying a human form to pass on a profound message that "Life is a series of tiny miracles. Sometimes we remain blind to it...you just need to wait for the right person who could not only help you experience it but also help you to live with it..!"...I was also blind for sometime, until a breathtaking experience struck me. 

Having hit the rock bottom, I decided to make that "bold" move and chose NOT to perish.  However, my journey was not smooth. I moved to a new city with a very heavy baggage of an extremely traumatic experience from the past. The excruciating pain within had taken away all hopes and strength from my life...  And when life seemed to have been taking vengeance on me to settle some unknown score, when solitude looked like a silent storm, and withering branches of my life heralded the obvious end, life surprised me and I realized that- "I was born again..!". This title was not a fiction, and if you recall the question - "However, the question is - did this realization unfold itself? or there was someone, who in a very magical and unspoken ways, helped me learn the fundamentals again?" which I had left unanswered,...here's my honest and candid submission. Allow me to introduce you to this "Someone" who came across with all possible natural powers, I could ever think of. "Someone" who truly resonated with this idea of "miracles", and turned this idea into an everlasting experience. A stranger, who changed my life by exuding an incredible aura of positivity and inspired me, silently, without overtly expressing anything to me and eventually convinced me to believe that "Life can really turn on a dime!". That's what I call the real power of inspiration!!

While the above looks like a fast-track story, in reality it took me sometime to appreciate this big transition in my life. Despite the fact that I was experiencing some change happening around, I consciously chose to avoid, not only this "change" but also this "Someone" for months, since I was still living in my past, frantically making all possible and sincere efforts to mend things and restore whatever was lost. However, my efforts were failing miserably and hopes were falling like a castle of cards. It was very hard coming to terms with the reality and I was sinking day by the day. In this tragic fiasco, Someone's mere presence was synonymous to extending a helping hand to me, who was drowning in an ocean of agony. This looked like a fantasy, but with every day passing by, this fantasy looked more like a reality. And a day came when I finally woke up from my deep sleep! This very day opened up my eyes to something which I had never ever realized before and it not only gave me a new perspective on life but also made some surprising revelations about myself - a clarity on what I was and what I became the next moment. I truly experienced the divine power this person possessed, which broke the fences I had built around myself to keep life away from me. I also realized that the magnitude of the impact one makes into your life not only depends on "who" inspires you but also on "how" someone inspires you. Can someone really inspire you and bring you back to life without even having a dialogue with you? My answer is - "Yes!" 

It seemed ages after which my day dawned with cloudless sky. Everything looked new to me, as if I had a fresh set of lenses through which the world looked colorful and beautiful again. Life took a 180 degree turn and the "happy-go-lucky" me was back! The very next day, I decided to speak to this magical person, to express my gratitude from the core of my heart. Unfortunately, my past experience had damaged my social skills to a great extent and I sensed this impact, when I realized that I did not even know the name of this person. The very next moment I decided to figure out the same. I could have taken an easy way out, however, my inner conscience did not allow me to do so. With the limited piece of information I had, I made a religious effort to connect the dots and took all permissible routes to arrive at my conclusion ...and finally I did it! My next day was all set to say a "Thank you" to this person. However, before I could reach out, life came back with another surprise to me. The very same day I learnt that this "Someone", who offered life back to me,....had already left... I felt another big loss! But this time I had the power to regain my strength. I closed my eyes and with all my heart, I said "Thank You" and then with a smile on my face, I asked myself a very simple question - Did I thank God or this person? My question was answered the very next moment.... Some people come into your life as lessons and some come as "blessings". This "Someone" came as a blessing in disguise to me. Someone, who gave meaning to my all time favorite song -"You say it best..when you say nothing at all!".

Not every experience can be spelled out in words, but that one big experience which came as my biggest change was - I getting introduced to "myself". Today, my priorities in life have changed. Not only am I progressing well in my personal life but also at my professional life. I've started connecting with my friends whom I had abandoned long time back. I've started listening to music, reading and above all I have learnt to discover my passion. Singing has always been my passion and I am pursuing it with "passion". Solitude doesn't scare me anymore, instead it gives me strength. I have two of my best companions with me today- music and books. I have developed new ways to express myself - writing is one of them!  At work, I was offered an international opportunity immediately after this paradigm shift in my life. I lived every day of my life abroad, explored as many places I could, met some amazing people, made new friends and learnt that the world is really beautiful, you just need to have that special eye to see the beauty. Finally as I am approaching the closure of this blog, it is worth mentioning about another fact of my life - today also marks the official closure of my past chapter permanently... and I have done it happily! ...

Is this really me? The answer is "Yes!". However, the question is who made me smile again? The "Someone" - whom I call "The miracle girl!" 

I was born again...!

Is it possible to apply logic to everything we witness in life? I got rid of this question, which has been incessantly plaguing me for a very long time, when I came across an experience that stumped me! I realized that there are certain situations in life, which transcend the barriers of logic, critical reasoning or anything that can be captured by our insatiable mind. To be born again is one such example. In my opinion being born again refers to a point in life when you embrace and assimilate a new "concept" for yourself, which is again not driven by logic. It is not something which is innate, instead it is a realization, which comes to you either when you let go of our old concept or when someone helps you to unlearn and relearn the fundamentals of life - That's my take on the subject. 

When we talk of birth, it's worth taking references from the Vedas, which says that before a conditioned soul takes the form of a human being, it passes through a cycle of 8.4 million species, according to its karma. This is indeed a gloomy cycle and a struggle which we are not even aware of. However, even after we are born as human beings, our struggle doesn't end. We remain engaged in our battle, fighting it out everyday. I am no exception to it and I've had mine as well! The battle I am referring to is inconsequential. It's history...however my transformation is not! Having fought the toughest one of my life for a very long time and having exhausted all the avenues to believe my old "concept", I was left with no other option than to give up, until something great happened and a very beautiful realization came to me that, "when shifts and transition shake you to the core, see that as a sign of greatness that is about to occur". Yes! it occurred recently - the day when "I was born again!" and I concluded that, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain!"

However, the question is - did this realization unfold itself? or there was someone, who in a very magical and unspoken ways, helped me learn the fundamentals again?

Before I sign off, here's a thought I leave you to ponder, which comes from my Master. He says that -"You need to know your present position in order to reach your destination"...Fortunately, I have figured out mine!