She is no longer the same. Knowing her for more than twenty years made it easy for me to see the difference in her attitude and demeanor. She was the jovial kinds, full of life, the one who was popular in cracking and creating jokes. Her only ambition was to make it big in life and be remembered for the same.
She was our chosen leader when we where in 10th and the same went on in degree. Standing right in front of the class she confidently shared jokes and that was her way of managing the class and in this way she also fulfilled teacher’s demand of maintaining silence. She was an optimist. An epitome of positive spirit. A very talkative leader who used to stop others from talking..!
I met her again after 3 years and it was only her outer appearance that helped me recognize her. She changed. Changed drastically. It was the reunion, this was the first time she attended one. She was standing in one corner, unnoticed by the crowd, talking to one of our classmates. Her eyes still held that charm. I joined the group and we started talking about the retired teachers, our friends and things went on. She was trying her best to be the same but her attempt was futile.
I was happy to see her and I wondered what has brought this change in her. She wasn’t comfortable and within no time she left . I mailed her that night and asked if things are fine at her end, her reply answered all my questions.
I realized how deeply someone has impacted her life, her feelings were crushed, the impact was so deep that she changed herself and now she is dead within.
It's ironical that the ones who are close to us suffer by our behavior and when we meet the unknown world we are all wearing a mask of being good natured, kind, patient, helpful...
The reason why I penned this one is to convey a simple thought, we can’t keep testing someone’s patience for long. At times we don’t realize how our words impact others. There are better ways of conveying what we wish to say, keep your cool and don't react to any situation at once.
I am reminded of a dialogue from Shakespeare’s King Lear, 'Mend your speech a little'.
A little mending especially when you are not in your best of moods will always do good...
What's your take?
