I was having tea outside the office premises today and was cursing my work life imbalance. Constant stress, continuously thinking about work, no time with the family and loved ones, no time for me to do what I want to do, etc. But then I thought, is my life as bad as I think it is ?

I just looked around. There was a bunch of 5-6 sparrows chirping in a corner and thought I’d take a look. I saw what looked like a broken sparrow egg (could conclude from the egg shell, and the mother sparrow’s nest right above the scene). The momma sparrow had lost, what looked like a potential healthy baby sparrow. A weird feeling creeped in supported by a light smile on my face thinking no, momma sparrow is a lot more vulnerable than mine at that moment.

About 30 feet away from the same location, I saw this couple (probably perfect for each other) were breaking up because their families did not approve of them. The girl was inconsolable and heartbroken, and the guy was trying to keep his calm so he does not make matters worse for her.

I grew up with this friend of mine for about 20 years before our family decided to move to a different house. We had this bond that was far more stronger than what 2 blood brothers can have. We shared everything – happiness and sad times alike. Last year, the day after we moved to the new house, his grandmother (who treated me like her own grandson) passed away. God bless her soul and may she rest in peace. She had the deepest eyes and the most beautiful face ever. She was 90 years old. My friend does not know that whenever I used to come down to visit her in his absense or otherwise, she would tell me stories about how her family went through extremely tough times and bought up her own family – healthy, wealthy and wise. Even though we did not share a blood relation, I owed her a lot. I had the utmost respect for her and love as my own grandmother. Till date, everytime I speak in marathi, I still picture her in my mind. My friend, his family and I were at the hospital the day she went to a better place. It was extremely difficult for me to handle the situation, but had no idea what my friend would’ve gone through when he was holding her hand and saw her become dear to God.

Honestly, since this event (and several others), something has changed in me. Something tells me to look at life in a different way, which is usually makes life better.

Such incidents that people usually overlook are the ones to look back to and rethink, is my life REALLY that bad ? Or am I just being picky with what life has to offer me?

Life really is a book and I’ve learnt not to judge it by it’s cover