That was one candid ride in bus, Sunny day and roads little less packed.
My eyes turned to one lady lost in her own thoughts.
One with a somber look and a forlorn face,Pretty in red sari, wearing a worried expression.
Her fingers locked in curls, mind puzzled.

Tears rolling her red cheeks made me madly curious. I gathered courage and went near her to really know what’s her story.

“Can I ask if everything is alright?” was my opening line.

She hesitated but when i told her i am just an empathetic women, though less her age yet mature to understand the cliche agonies, she got little relaxed and struggled to smile.

After 30 minutes patient listening I was appalled and puzzled.
What made me feel sorry was not her story but her state. I should not breach the faith that she had in me by writing the conversation here.
What I could share here is the question that I asked her and you must too to yourself.

Is it really worth??

The struggle, the remorse, the hopelessness, the incessant efforts…
Are they really worth your pain??

She answered in her mind and gave me a nod.
We talked for a while and then I departed with one last piece of advise:

“Let it go! Let it not stop you from being happy.”

We all have our those moments where we place our choices deep below in order to maintain the balance in our environment. Sometime that appears to be the ‘only solution’ but I believe its the ‘only rehearsal’ that we ‘girls’ have witnessed in our own house. In our mom’s daily struggle of shifting her ‘own’ priorities down to take care of the societal responsibilities, in your elder sister’s daily effort to give away her study time to help in household work and many more. Those small yet important events added one attribute in our character: ‘GIVING UP’.

Centuries after centuries, that choice of ours to give up became an obligation

Some call it ‘our responsibility’ which I do not deny. What i disagree is with the idea of reluctant struggle in the name of responsibility or compulsion.

Those days I didn’t have the outlook or you can say the age to intervene in such wrong habits adopted by our kind. But I do understand now! I do understand now that Life is short and we deserve our own share of happiness too. I do understand that when its not worth, it’s better to be freed. Many around you won’t understand first but they will later. In the intent of keeping others happy and you in the fallacy is NOT the purpose of your life. Really not!

Let go all the unnecessary compulsion and insignificant boundations because those who care for you WILL understand. Sooner or later! They will understand your will to achieve your dreams, your will to live by your ways.

The story behind her wrinkled face was not only because of her age, and this sense of realization saddens me.

I still ponder if she took my advise or still trapped in what we call as “circumstances”