Resilience...

She was a flower that bloomed in the garden of love. 
A love that is not like the one in the movies but a love where responsibility matters, where there are arguments within the family and fights and resolutions all in the same place. Broken or dysfunctional many would call it, but for her, her family was perfect!
Grandparents, parents, cousins all in one place. A happy family - Conditions apply!

She was unlike any other child. She did not have many friends, was lost in her books.For her, schooling , getting good marks, finding a good job had been her dream.Some people called her a parrot( she mugged up things ) but she understood them more than anyone knew. From childhood she understood the burden of responsibility and  values.

Her grandmother she adored and she also loved her no bounds. She never differentiated between any of the children which amazed her and she also moved with times. For her, her grandmother was an evergreen woman.
Times passed and her grandmother passed away with age leaving a hollow in her heart which never filled. But like the woman of substance had always taught her, life had to go on.

Her first relationship came as she started work, and it felt like heaven as it was the first love experience from the opposite gender. Oh she was on cloud nine! Messaging and talking on phone continued day and night like every new person in love would do.Slowly realising that relationships are not bed of roses, one fine day she finally quit realising that it was not worth her effort and her self respect. She broke up and moved on.

Then came her best friend who had been her world since college. They knew each other like no other. 10 years of friendship and four years into the relationship had been a very long time and she trusted him blindly. But folks, blind trust leads you  often to wrong alleys. She fought the world only to realise that she was a fool and was betrayed by him. It was difficult for her as the person she trusted the most had stabbed her on the back but life had to go on.

Years later came her Prince charming.
There was nothing exceptional about him that she felt, except for a sense of ease which she never felt before. Marriage for her was more a calculated step than how most girls perceived it to be. Yes she did have a fairytale wedding but with her heart and head in the right place. But life has its ways of surprising you. They quickly moved out of the lovey-dovey phase. Wondering if all marriages end up so, she fought to gain that love only to later realise the indifference and emotional absence.pife surprised her again with betrayal on the cards. And she stood again firmly in the face of despair.

She had to give up her job in a completely new space and every day she tried to find a new one battling self doubt.

Life taught her to stand from every loss, every grief, every betrayal and she did it with beauty and grace. Days of self doubt, nights of silent tears but there she stood straightening her crown with the help of people who loved her and cared for her. Some days she is a warrior, some days a broken mess, yet standing , trying and hoping.
If nothing else, life taught her that most priced asset was resilience!