The power of one...

Last month a close friend of mine celebrated her 31st birthday. Her birthday brought me back some memories of bitter and sweet experiences in her life.
We both studied in the same college and shared the hostel room and so with each day we became very close friends and needless to say we admired each other ... she admired me for " how I can get into a mess,cry and yet come out of it and move on...." and I admired her for the sheer grit she had to take things in her stride! Till date she is one of the people I look up to when I find myself in a MESS!!
It was 10 years back when we finished college and found our careers in two different hotels. Our convocation was probably the last time we met in person, though we have been in touch through mails till now. I remember her as this very bubbly full of life person.. a darling of the entire college. She was envied by most of us, because she was a darling of the teachers,strong willed,good at academics and had a boyfriend whom the entire college was fond of. As fate would have it... this most loved couple of college, part their ways after they left college and both of them got married to different people and settled into marital bliss...!! That was my last contact with the guy.
Soon after her marriage and a rocking career in one of India's leading hotel chain, motherhood beckoned and she had a beautiful baby. Life seemed beautiful each day till her son turned 2 years old. My friend found herself in a very uncomfortable position, when she found out that her husband was cheating on her with an extra marital affair. Deeply hurt with no remorse or reconciliation in sight, my friend returned back to her parents place to find solace. She returned to this small town where career options were almost nil and society was not ready to accept her decision. But, this did not make her any weak.... she took what came by her, pulled herself up and joined an office to restart her career. Today after many years of that dreadful day, she is a composed lady, successful career woman and a doting single parent. Her son did go through the initial days of missing his father,specially during school days, but today this grown up boy is a happy child and does well in school. I agree with my friend when she says that she could not have done all this without the support from her parents... but for me she is a pillar of strength and her sheer grit to move on with life makes me admire and respect her more. Her experience in life has made me realize that we will always remember the good things in our lives .... but the bitterness and adversities we face, would only make us strong and not weaken us further.


Tough times don't last but tough people do.... this is very much true in this case. My salutations to people who withstand difficult situations and turbulent times to bring in a brighter future for them and their loved ones.