Hope

Has it ever happened to you, that you've been looking for something, but you don't know what. It stays with you for a while and then you dismiss it. Or maybe you give it a lot of thought and it still doesn't come to you. And one day, when you least expect it, in a form you never imagined, from a source you never envisaged, it hits you. And you know that this was the answer to all those nagging questions.

Not so long ago I met my best friend over coffee. Her casual remark after general discussions on things inconsequential, stumped me. She said something to the effect of "Those who suffer a lot in life are the ones who stand to get unprecedented happiness too in the same life". A lot can happen over coffee indeed!!

Extremely profound. I'm a firm believer of the fact that everything indeed happens for the greater good. We might not see the good immediately, but it doesn't elude us forever. We are blessed enough to be where we are. Things could be a lot worse. It reminds me of this one liner that says "I complained that I didn't have shoes, until I saw a boy who didn't have legs". "Life isn't perfect, we make it so" is another something she just said matter of factly. Someone can be happy with the little that he/she makes and someone else can be unhappy even with his/her millions. It's about extracting happiness and peace out of everything. If you take the time to look, you'll more often than not even find it. 

There are periods of distress when all seems to be going wrong. And then comes a time when the storm gives way to bright sunlight. It's said that we are given problems He knows we can get out of. He also makes sure we have someone to lean on, something to hold on to, as we battle it out. People you hadn't met a month back, people you haven't seen before, people whose names you are unaware of. They help you see it all through. And then go their way. Who are they, if not His messengers who are sent to help us tread this journey. 

One of my managers once remarked that when you feel you can't take it anymore, He comes and  lifts you up, takes you forward until you feel strong enough to walk again. At that time, it made me feel so much better. Again I'm not in touch with her anymore. 

It is so heartening to be in touch with those who are genuine. Who will do anything to make you feel better, if they just caught a fleeting glance of you all silent and sad. Friends who are by your side not only in the good times, but also the dark and ugly. Friends who would come forward to embrace you, if you as much as held their hand when they were feeling low. A bond that never ends. Again it's frivolous contemplating whether it will remain till the end of your days. You never know, it might be gone the next time you open your eyes. But at least it helped you cope with that specific period. 

You only come out of hardships stronger. Once you've learnt your lessons, you don't have to revisit the same chapters. And thank God for that!! 

Life may change, but it may fly not; Hope may vanish, but can die not; Truth be veiled, but still it burneth; Love repulsed, - but it returneth.”- Percy Bysshe Shelley