About a year ago, at this time, I was going through a bad patch in a close relationship. Having quit my work, I spent days feeling worthless and being unplanned, unmotivated. It seemed to me that all hope was lost.
This went on for around a month or more until my mother handed me the newspaper one morning. She insisted I read this article about a missing person. It was about a mentally challenged man who had been lost and had been missing from home for more than 14 years. An organisation helps such people get back home by tracing their place of origin or at least trying to find them a shelter. It was a heartfelt story about how this man went home after a decade to see his kids all grown up. His daughter recognised him from an old photo in their house. His family had assumed him dead.
This article made me realise how privileged I was. I felt that I could contribute a little to this cause. I traced one of the members and offered them aid for the team. They happily accepted my gesture, which was like a new beginning for me. I had found a new purpose! This is a quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald, “It was only a sunny smile and little cost of giving but like the morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living”.
Since that day, I haven’t looked back. Now, I hold people closer to my heart than my belongings. After a few months, I got a chance to help a bunch of kids with their school fees and books, which has been the highlight of this new phase of my life for me. Once you open your heart to the world, it presents you with moments of fulfilment that last for a long time.
Takeaway
When we feel our own pain in a truly deep way, it softens up a little of our hearts and enables us to see the pain of others.
~ Pracheta Nevase