Always Love, Laugh And Smile

This incident is of those days when I would go to an institution to attend classes for a higher-level exam. On the very day, I was waiting for my professor to come and start the class when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled old lady looking at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, Hello! My name is Meera. Can I sit here?” I laughed and enthusiastically responded,” Of course you may! “Why are you here at such a young, innocent age?” I asked. She jokingly replied, “I am here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel. “No seriously,” I asked. I was curious about what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age. “I always dreamed of having higher education and now I am getting one! she told me.

After class, we walked to the canteen and shared a chocolate milkshake. Soon we became good friends. Every day for the next few months we would leave the class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerised listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of 6 months, Meera became everyone’s favourite. She reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other classmates.

At the end of the session, our institute organised a farewell party to give us best wishes for the upcoming exam. We invited Meera to speak at the event. She was stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her speech, she looked around, smiled and simply said, “I am 67 years old now. I was always a naturally confident person. Along with studies, I loved to dress up, sing and dance, hang out with friends. I finished 12th in an English medium school. I got engaged by the time I was 19. The man I got married to was wonderful, caring and kind-hearted. He used to bunk his office and we would go out for movies and theatres. We led a great life together - traveling, hosting parties, dressing up, drinking, eating, dancing…those were the golden days.

We were living our life to the fullest when one phone call shooked me inside and out. My husband while coming back from his office met with a horrible accident. A truck ran into his car, he went up flying before he hit the road and it ran over him. It broke his legs and fractured his dorsal spine. I immediately rushed to the hospital. He was in terrible pain…not knowing, if he would be able to walk again.

Although all that happened, was not easy to accept or to come out from that , but for me the most disheartening part was to see him stressful and devastated all the time.

I did not wanted him to lose hope. Even at that tough time, my will was like- we could never sit still. I thought, it was it was a miracle that he lived alive, so why to waste it?

Next moment, I gathered all the courage and stood up. First of all, I started helping him out in restoring his faith in God, then getting him back on his feet, then to work, to our parties and finally soon after , we started living our life again with full josh and joy. However our travelling and our parties were definitely cut short.

I had almost 40 beautiful years with him before he passed away sometime back. I knew that during all those years, he was living and smiling for me and my happiness. We always discussed that life must go on. So I would put up on my mangalsutra and go out for both of us.

Dear friends, you know I miss him a lot, but I live for him…it's my purpose and the essence of a true relationship.

But yes I have learnt few important lessons in my life which I would like to share with you all-“ We don’t stop playing because we are old, we grew old because we stop playing. There are few secrets for staying young, being happy and achieving success.

You have to laugh and humour everyday.

You have got to have a dream. When you lose your dream, you die. There are so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it.

Be who you are. You can even allow yourself some weaknesses. You don’t treasure them but you accept your condition as a member of the imperfect human race. And you opt to stay in that race.

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. Try to understand this in time.

Give God a lot of credit. Recognise his work in you. Remember he has faith in you and he will never let you down.

Believe in saying- Tough time never lasts, tough people do.

Everyone sitting over there was immensely involved in listening Meera. Suddenly the silence broke, she cleared her throat and continued - That’s why even today, I continue to be a starter- be it a get-together or making new friends. ‘Right Richa’. I was in my deep thoughts while listening Meera patiently when she called out my name. I couldnot stop myself, went to her and hugged her. Tears rolled out of my eyes. Meera in return also squeezed me tightly, wiped out my tears and said- my life has been a ‘bindaas life’. If I pass away today, I won’t have any regrets. So don’t cry. Play some good music and let’s dance.

That day, whole night I was thinking of her and amazed to see that how can someone be so positive in all the situations.

After sometime, we all got busy in our lives. It is just almost 4 weeks back, I got to know through a common Facebook friend that Meera is no more. She died peacefully in her sleep.

Her story in my words is a tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you possibly can be. Always Love, Laugh and Smile-no matter what.