A Walk to the Tea Shop

Arjun had stopped smiling.

Once a friendly, cheerful person, he now spent most of his time lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. After losing his father and facing rejection at work, everything felt pointless. He stopped answering calls. Stopped opening the curtains. The world outside went on, but inside, he felt frozen.

One afternoon, his neighbor, an old man named Mr. Rao, knocked on his door.

“Come have tea with me,” Mr. Rao said gently.

Arjun wanted to say no. But for some reason, he didn’t.

He put on his slippers and walked slowly behind Mr. Rao. They didn’t speak much, just sat at a small street-side tea shop. The tea was hot, the breeze was cool, and the world — for a moment — didn’t feel so heavy.

Mr. Rao smiled and said, “I lost my wife five years ago. For two years, I didn’t step out of the house. One day, a friend invited me for tea. Just like this. That one cup changed everything.”

They sat in silence again.

From that day on, Arjun joined Mr. Rao for tea every evening. Slowly, his days started having meaning again. He read a book. Took a walk. Picked up his old sketchbook.

He was still healing. Some days were hard. But the simple act of showing up, even for a cup of tea, reminded him: life hadn’t given up on him yet — and he wouldn’t give up either.

Moral of the story:

Even if you can’t fix everything today, just take one small step. Step outside. Make tea. Text a friend. One tiny act can begin to change your whole story. You don’t need to rush. Just don’t stop.