Much less than often, an extraordinary incident happens in our life and stays with us for the rest of our life time. One such introspectional episode occured in my life today.
I don't waste any time in buulding impressions or judging people, irrespective of knowing them or not knowing them. Most of us do that, most of the time.. but today, something happened which made me think how shallow that is! I decided not to be or at least try not to be judgemental so easily henceforth..
My flu seems to have fallen deeply in love with me and forced me to pay yet another expensive visit to my doctor.. waiting for my turn to come, I saw a girl probably my age sitting beside me on the waiting bench with her mother.
She too was invaded by the changing weather illness like me and we were both waiting for the same doctor.. it took me a little time to realise that the girl couldn't see.. she was blind.. she was wearing her black goggles but I had perceived that it might have been coz her eyes must be having an allergy due to the cold like mine, I understood only when her mother assisted her to the ladies room that she was blind..
What followed was a pang of sympathy in me.. for 'the poor girl'.. I decided to get myself introduced to her once she comes back and make her feel comfortable-- our turns were after four patients and that easily meant about 40 minutes..
She came back, her mother sat beside me this time and she herself started the conversation-- it went like how long people have to wait even for a doctor, the weather is so erratic, where I live, where am I from etc.. I got my chance too-- I asked the blind girl her name.. she was Sunitha.. she was NOT meek or scared or introvert as I had expected.. she started talking to me, she changed places with her mother so that she could listen to me more carefully.. she told me she wasn't blind by birth, she turned blind at 12 when suddenly a hereditary disease struck her and weakened a nerve in her eyes permanently damaging her eyes.. I was even more pitiful now..
The conversation flowed and Sunitha told me she joined a singing academy after the incident, she sings all across Bangalore in various shows-- she learnt brail, and she now works at the State Bank of India.. I was SURPRISED..she was doing much better than most of us with both eyes workin !! Woah!! What a lady!!! My pity and sympathy turned into the strongest admiration for this young woman!
She told me she had the option of wallowing in her grief for the rest of her life but she chose to rather set an example of will and determination!! She's very active on Facebook and loves to get herself photographed..though she can only imagine how she looks in each one of them...
Meeting Sunitha-- I learnt the biggest lesson of my life-- she spoke to me, asked about me, told about herself and at the end, she told me, 'you're beautiful'... this was the best-est compliment of my life-- not that no one's called me beautiful before, but I felt really beautiful today.. coz it came from a person who dint see skin-deep beauty-- she dint see what I wore or how I look.. she judged my personslity.. and I loved it!
My turn came..I saw the doctor, took an auto and while coming on my way back saw each person differently.. I did not notice what they wore or how they walked.. I learnt to notice them from inside.. may be how they felt or what they thought..
My world is different now.. a lot less percetive based and a lot more interpersonal..
I don't waste any time in buulding impressions or judging people, irrespective of knowing them or not knowing them. Most of us do that, most of the time.. but today, something happened which made me think how shallow that is! I decided not to be or at least try not to be judgemental so easily henceforth..
My flu seems to have fallen deeply in love with me and forced me to pay yet another expensive visit to my doctor.. waiting for my turn to come, I saw a girl probably my age sitting beside me on the waiting bench with her mother.
She too was invaded by the changing weather illness like me and we were both waiting for the same doctor.. it took me a little time to realise that the girl couldn't see.. she was blind.. she was wearing her black goggles but I had perceived that it might have been coz her eyes must be having an allergy due to the cold like mine, I understood only when her mother assisted her to the ladies room that she was blind..
What followed was a pang of sympathy in me.. for 'the poor girl'.. I decided to get myself introduced to her once she comes back and make her feel comfortable-- our turns were after four patients and that easily meant about 40 minutes..
She came back, her mother sat beside me this time and she herself started the conversation-- it went like how long people have to wait even for a doctor, the weather is so erratic, where I live, where am I from etc.. I got my chance too-- I asked the blind girl her name.. she was Sunitha.. she was NOT meek or scared or introvert as I had expected.. she started talking to me, she changed places with her mother so that she could listen to me more carefully.. she told me she wasn't blind by birth, she turned blind at 12 when suddenly a hereditary disease struck her and weakened a nerve in her eyes permanently damaging her eyes.. I was even more pitiful now..
The conversation flowed and Sunitha told me she joined a singing academy after the incident, she sings all across Bangalore in various shows-- she learnt brail, and she now works at the State Bank of India.. I was SURPRISED..she was doing much better than most of us with both eyes workin !! Woah!! What a lady!!! My pity and sympathy turned into the strongest admiration for this young woman!
She told me she had the option of wallowing in her grief for the rest of her life but she chose to rather set an example of will and determination!! She's very active on Facebook and loves to get herself photographed..though she can only imagine how she looks in each one of them...
Meeting Sunitha-- I learnt the biggest lesson of my life-- she spoke to me, asked about me, told about herself and at the end, she told me, 'you're beautiful'... this was the best-est compliment of my life-- not that no one's called me beautiful before, but I felt really beautiful today.. coz it came from a person who dint see skin-deep beauty-- she dint see what I wore or how I look.. she judged my personslity.. and I loved it!
My turn came..I saw the doctor, took an auto and while coming on my way back saw each person differently.. I did not notice what they wore or how they walked.. I learnt to notice them from inside.. may be how they felt or what they thought..
My world is different now.. a lot less percetive based and a lot more interpersonal..
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