When I was a teenager, I had a friend who was 10 years older to me. On one unfortunate day, he met with an accident and his leg was fractured. Due to the cast around his leg, he was bed ridden. He would only step out of the house for a doctor’s visit. His mobility was restricted.
In my teenage, forget mobile phones, most households didn’t even have landline phones. Thank God for that – if we had access to smart phones, I probably would have chatted with him on WhatsApp or liked/commented on his sad-looking pics posted on Insta or FB but never went to meet him.
Whenever possible, I used to go to his house and spend a lot of time with him. I never saw him irritated or angry at his situation. He was always happy and cheerful. That always surprised me.
While I never expressed, but deep within I was feeling very sorry for his condition.
I couldn’t go for a few days owing to my exams. When I went back to him after a few days, I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw. The cast around his leg was removed and he could now move around. Though he still needed a walker or crutches for walking, he could step out daily.
One such day, when we both stepped out for fresh air, I said “You must be feeling really frustrated with these crutches. For some one who is so used to walking freely, these crutches are like a curse.”
He looked at me and smiled.
He said “On the contrary, I really love these crutches. How could I ever move if these crutches were not there?”
I don’t know why but this incident remained permanently with me. I was not mature enough to comprehend it at that time. But now when I think of it, I can really understand the depth of what he said:
I didn’t come to terms with what happened. But, he was quick to accept the fact that his leg is fractured. That acceptance helped him to stay calm and fight better.
Since I didn’t accept the situation, I saw the crutches as a curse while for him, they were a boon.
On many instances, when we resist the changes happening in our lives, we pass through a lot of unnecessary stress and miss living our lives. Let’s not forget that there are millions out there who are dreaming to live our lives.
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