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The Old Lady at the Railway Station

 I remember this particular day I was feeling very downcast. I do not recall the exact reason for feeling so but something had happened and it was weighing down on me so bad. I remember sitting alone on a bench at the railway station with tears in my eyes. I was holding them back as best as I could, trying to act normal in a public space. That's when an old lady tripped and fell to the ground a little beside me. As it was the far end of the platform, there were not many people around. I instantly got to my feet and went to help that poor woman as any human being might have done in that scenario. A man who stood nearby also came forward to help her up. As she was able to stand back upon her feet, she looked me in the eyes and just broke out in tears.

It was quite shocking to me at first- to have an old woman sobbing against me so violently. That man tried to calm her down but I could form no word to soothe her. I was still stunned. I honestly did not know what to do. We led her to the nearest bench and made her sit there. That man kept asking her what had happened because it was quite evident that she was not crying because she fell down. There was some other reason for it but she remained speechless with tears just falling out of her eyes with no end. And all the restrain I had on myself- I lost it at once. The tears I had been holding back for too long started to cascade down my cheeks slowly. The old woman took notice of this and wiped them away.

After a while, she calmed herself down and asked for some space. The train I was supposed to get on arrived by then but my heart did not allow me to just board it and leave. I returned back to the bench where I was seated and kept an eye on the lady once in a while. She had stopped shaking and sobbing but she had this look on her face that told me she wasn't alright in the least. She kept looking at me from time to time and I did not know what to do so I just smiled at her whenever her eyes met mine. After ten minutes or so, she turned to face me and returned a smile as best as she could. I got up and went to her side and asked her what had happened for her to undergo such agony.

She did not answer my question, instead, she placed her hand upon my head. She told me that I have a nice smile and that she would pray to God to get rid of all my affliction. I smiled once again but was not satisfied with having my question ghosted. So I reiterated the same again but she just shook her head and told me she was facing a loss that shouldn't be shared with a kid. She told me not to worry about it and that I had made her feel a little better by staying back and making sure she was alright. She once again told me that she really loved my smile. She told me to never lose it no matter what. 

And it's then and there that I actually realised the true power a smile holds. A small smile- a little gesture- a tiny concern- we underestimate the power of all these things in daily life. An act of kindness takes minimal effort mostly. But that can offer the greatest relief to those in need and it might just be the push they need to keep going.

From that day onwards, I vowed to myself to never turn a blind eye to someone who could possibly need my help. Even when I have nothing, if the smallest of smiles can offer some comfort to a person who passes me by, then I know that I will be content at heart.


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