The Lady with an untold story………

“I have been through a very tough life.” Rahim was talking to the lady in the rear seat of double cabin pick up. Trying to impress her he stressed on the word “tough’’. But it seemed like he failed because the lady was as calm and unmoved as a rock hardened by nature with the passage of time. He didn’t give up and tried the second time, “Life has been tough as I lost my father at an early age and being the eldest I had to carry many responsibilities on my shoulders.” Rahim paused for a while. The pickup was now ascending. Seating in the front seat Rahim could only look at the mountains with some snow on the peaks. The seasoned driver was confident with his eyes on the road. “My father passed away when I was two months old.” This time the voice came from the rear seat, from the lady who had recently graduated from university. Rahim was startled. “Oh….. Oh! So sorry to hear that.” The only words he could utter with astonishment, grief, empathy and many mixed emotions. The young lady continued, “And then my mother married another man when she was still too young. Life has not been that 'tough' on me although i stayed with my uncles after my mom married another man. She added. The secret of her calmness and reason of Rahim's failure to impress him was not any more a puzzle. Rahim couldn’t say anything. He was staring at the mountains around the valley. For a while he thought the tallest of the rocks is crashing down due to thunder struck. But soon he realized it was an illusion since the sky was clear and the only sound was that of slow music inside the car. Rahim leaned back and closed his eyes.

Sometimes you have to shut your eyes to see the truth. Most of us think that what we have endured is incomparable to any other difficulty and hardship. We tend to make a world of our own based on our assumptions. Then we try to cash the credit of being tough, hardworking and successful. At times this seems to be so one sided and egoistic approach of looking at yourself and the world. There are many stories untold which are more impressive than the one you know, you tell and people know. There is no universal yardstick to measure success, pride and no tough-guy-scale. You are not the only one who has faced hardships and challenges and neither have you got any edge over others for being hardworking and tough.

Suddenly, Rahim’s eyes open when the pickup started moving ahead on the bumpy road of the valley. He smiles. Truth is such a peaceful realization. Humility and humbleness are worth more than pride and self-centeredness. The lady with an untold story makes deeper impression than the man who tells his own story. He thought so! J