Do not wait for a ‘suitable time’ to do your bit for the good. Find out what can be done around you, and begin doing it. Make the world better just by doing this little thing.
I watched the sunshine play in Marie’s hair. Dirt smeared all over her face, she played after the showers, jumping in the puddles with a paper boat in hand.
I was sitting on the porch of my friend’s house sipping freshly brewed filter coffee. Nothing can beat the aroma of freshly brewed coffee that romances the smell of wet earth on a sunny afternoon after the rains. I was completely rejuvenated by the experience, but what gave me a goose bump evoking excitement was the conversation that I had with my friend.
As a child, I had always wanted to make a difference in the world. But I did not know how. I saw my father make the world a better place by ensuring that the patients who came to him for treatment left with a grateful smile. Maybe it was his influence or something else I do not know. But the urge to make the world a better place has always remained burning bright.
As things often are I always kept this longing to be satisfied some other day. When I complete my studies, when I am settled with money, when I have freer time etc. I am no saint and it feels easy to procrastinate, although something in my heart says otherwise.
That post shower afternoon as I sat on my friend’s porch having coffee and watching children in her garden play in the sunshine I enquired who they were. My friend told me that Marie and many other children from the nearby houses come over for tuition to her house. For free.
My friend’s mother who is a retired teacher, teaches these children from the comfort of her house for subjects that they have problems in. Once Marie started coming in, there were others who followed suit. There is a group of six children who come over every afternoon to study, and as per the report cards they have significantly improved. After every class they have a glass of milk and cookie and play in the garden and return home when their parents come to pick them up.
Curious, I asked what made her mother take up this odd responsibility? To which my friend replied –
‘These children do not have the privilege to the basic things like a cup of milk twice daily. They have the passion to study and make it big but do not have the right guidance to help them improve and make use of their education. My mother thought that she can fix both the problems by calling them home. One boy had made into college. Another had got a clerical government job. Both children of house helps.’
I cast a glance back at the children again. In each shrieking happy child I saw a possibility that when nourished can transform their lives. My friend’s mother saw the same possibility, and instead of turning her back towards it she decided to be the catalyst that would help bring that transformation.
My thoughts broke when the children were called in to the porch and was given a packet of biscuit each to dunk in their milk and have. This is something that every person has done and revelled as a child, but there are some children for whom this very simple thing is a privilege. I watched each child, as they tasted the melted biscuit. Some made faces when the soggy part fell off into the cup, while the careful ones laughed. Marie held a paper boat close to her chest. This is a prize possession because she had received this boat as promised by my friend’s mother if she topped the class. Looking at them I realised, you do not need much to change the world. A willing heart, a cup of milk and chocolate biscuits can do wonders.
As dusk fell and the children left the house, I could not help but imagine them like a bunch of fireflies going out blazing in the night sky that has been illuminated by a woman’s touch of self-less love.
Everyone can make a difference in the world. All they need is a compassionate heart that is willing to work selflessly work for a cause. Make your existence the reason why the world is beautiful.
Image source: By Biswarup Ganguly [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0 ], from Wikimedia Commons
A Social Media Content Writer by profession. A writer by heart. A genuine foodie. Simple
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