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since you don’t know me but if you really think Annette smiled, exuding an aura of wisdom that
Kindness: The Underrated Superpower!
By Fatema Mala
he wind whistled through the woods as
Sara made her way towards her own private
Tlittle haven away from all the chaos of life.
She wrapped her coat a little tighter around her as
she made her way through the last couple of trees
between her and the crystal blue of the gushing
stream. To her relief she had a substantial amount
of time here today, to recharge, sort things out
and remember fondly the meeting with a com-
plete stranger, who was instrumental in changing
her perspective on many things. She smiled as she
thought... sometimes miracles are just good people
with kind hearts!
A year earlier…
Sara settled herself on the mossy green patch and
leaned against the majestic weeping willow, which
provided her shade from the sun but also allowed
the sunlight to peek mischievously through, oc-
casionally. She leaned back and closed her eyes,
relishing the peace that surrounded her, until her
mind went racing back to the tangle of thoughts
that wrapped her entire being!
How did she get to this point! All her life she had
had a clarity in vision and had worked with dedi-
cated enthusiasm to get to this point. The sacrifices
she had made before her marriage; studying to the
crack of dawn, missing out on parties, social events
and after she had found her Mr. Right…she had
juggled hard to cater to her husband and kids... a
constant race against time, to achieve her dreams,
while striving to be the perfect wife and mom. How
could she have missed getting such an important
contract at this point in time? Such an opportunity
in her career would have been an entry ticket to
where she envisioned herself to be! Yet in a paral-
lel universe she chided herself for being late to her
daughter’s Kindergarten musical…What had she
done to her driven, focused self!
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She kicked her foot and a little rock hurtled ahead,
falling into the gushing stream below. The ripples
created reflected the tears of frustration flowing
down her cheeks. She just had a lot on her plate as
usual and although her husband was supportive of
her dreams and genuinely tried to help, sometimes
he just couldn’t understand the guilt, frustration,
and emotions that bubbled within her being. Men
truly are from Mars, she thought despondently!
“Troubles in paradise?” asked a voice. Sara was
startled to the present by the silhouette of a woman, Photo Credit: UnSplash @pidangzi sidelined the most beautiful relationships that life
who was standing beside her.
“Where in the world did she come from?” thought
Sara.
“Sorry, I couldn’t help but notice that you look a
little distressed,” she said coming closer and settling
herself besides Sara, who positively felt annoyed at
her impudence.
“I am Annette, and you are?” she asked, putting
forward a well-manicured hand. She seemed to
be in her early fifties and Sara couldn’t help but
notice how elegantly the lady was dressed. An ol-
ive-green turtleneck with cream-colored khakis, ac-
cessorized by a very chic earth tone scarf. It wasn’t
a wonder why she had missed her; the lady literally
was camouflaged in the scenery.
“I’m Sara,” she replied awkwardly, as she shook
hands and hastily began to wipe the tears off her
face. So much for unwinding privately she thought,
scowling sideways.
“I apologize for intruding like this,” Annette said
apologetically, while Sara reprimanded herself for
her crude display of facial expressions.
“I am a believer in not wasting time. I know it’s odd
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about it, we are often more candid with strangers...
maybe because there is a sense of security in being
unknown to them.” Sara smiled knowingly. In the
brief awkward silence that followed, Sara conclud-
ed that the lady was absolutely right. After a little
interlude of silence, Annette introduced herself
formally and Sara warmed up to the idea of sharing
the afternoon with an interesting stranger.
“I wasn’t always this intuitive,” Annette laughed
coyly. “Most of my life I have been a self-absorbed
crab, an over achiever who felt that money was a
viable substitute for anything. I was so wrapped up
in the world around, equipped with the ill-advised
notion that my achievements made me superior in
society. It controlled me to the extent that I missed
out on the most valuable thing in life...which is the
journey of life itself! In my quest to achieve goals, I
offered me…my husband, children, family. They
certainly are the most understanding people of all,
and I always balanced my guilt by showering those
around me with wealth. I was oblivious to the fact
that the presence of a human soul cannot be sub-
stituted with material things. All people yearn for
those little moments doing those completely ordi-
nary things, just being there for them, giving them
your time, sharing your soul…these are the things
which eventually make the deepest impact.”
She abruptly stopped speaking and Sara noticed she
was wiping away tears and thus felt obliged to po-
litely ask if everything was alright. Annette shot her
the painful look of a person who has realized...that
once the sands of time have slipped through your
hand, the only thing they leave behind is regret.
Sara gradually let Annette in on her anxieties, fears,
shortcomings--
“I just want it all I never felt like this before my
kids. I knew what I wanted to do, where I wanted
to be. As hard as the struggle to achieve it is, I also
want to be the picture-perfect mom whipping up
delights like they show on Pinterest or throwing
these delightful, themed parties! Sometimes I feel as
if I am failing everyone and that just crushes me!”
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one usually achieves with years of experience. “It’s
not your fault if you feel this way, it’s your genera-
tion. Everyone’s life is out there like an open book.
Each one of you is compelled to stay on top of the
waves of life in today’s tech savvy world fulfill-
ment is only attained if your life and events taking
place in them can in some way be reciprocated
with “likes”, followers, and acknowledgement on
social media platforms. There is no harm in that, as
it is the world we all live in today but remember to
strike a balance. Do not compare, rather make the
most of your blessings, create your own individual
paradise. From what I hear, you are a very caring
individual, your only folly is that you want it all.
Do you think your children care about a magazine
worthy house or parties thrown to perfection…they
just want their mom, her attention and love your
presence cannot ever be substituted by anything.
Remember that. It is the only true thing that hon-
estly matters!”
Annette went on to explain how she had only fo-
cused on her career and sidelined everything else,
all that which actually mattered, creating such an
emotional void that the pain and regret still stung
her in those very personal moments of solitude.
“Savor each and every moment with the people
around you and please don’t overthink things that
are beyond you. Relax, let go and while you are do-
ing all the things that need to be done, don’t burn
yourself out! Remember to feel the breeze, smell
the roses, enjoy the patter of rain so that you can
recharge your soul too.” Sara looked at Annette,
trying to absorb the wisdom, which felt God sent.
“You see, I lost my mother a couple of years ago
and although at the time I believed I was providing
her with the very best of everything it was much lat-
er that I realized she actually yearned for something
else. My busy schedules and globetrotting are what
kept me from seeing her my mother, who should
have been my topmost priority …,” she choked
back her words in her throat.
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