The Lady and the Book

Taking the fifty-minute-long ride metro, just to walk three more minutes out and then waiting for other twelve minutes for the bus home to arrive can be of course exhausting at times. Don't get me wrong or judge me just yet, the thing is that I have had thought that living in a large city slowly takes your joy away, as if it was a vampire trying to suck out the life of its victim. Perhaps I am overdoing it or overthinking it, or I might even be at fault for letting myself be an easy target for the city to slowly consume me from within. In my case, I believe that it is hard to point my finger at the "right" culprit...I guess it is a combination of factors and experiences that slowly accumulate in the process of living my life, or trying my best to live it and, the final result seems to be just plain exhaustion. 

One of those evenings, the bus came in and I sat down by the window. Some seconds later, an old lady sat next to me. She was just another passenger like many others, including myself, who was just there to go back home. She slowly and almost clumsily pulls out an old book which pages had turned yellow due to time, that unforgiven time that places its bulk in all of us and that book wasn't an exception. She squirmed a little in her sit and accidentally knocks my phone out of my hands to which she very kindly apologized. I didn't bother at all and I smirked while replying "it's ok". I couldn't help but feeling a bit curious about her book and I tried to have a peek in the corner of my left eye. I realized it was something about life lessons and perhaps some tips here and there on how to become a better person, or so I thought. She noticed my doing, and very kindly she told me it was a book she was given to her by her late husband who past away a couple of years back, and that she'd kept it with all her heart. 

"You see" she said, "life is not only about what we have in front of our eyes, or the people that we meet, it's more than that my dear". Up to a certain extent I had already formulated that notion in my head, so I didn't give much importance to her affirmation. After a short pause, as if trying to collect he thoughts she added: "It is what we make out of it and the inner and spiritual experiences that we have with ourselves, the people we love and people that we come across everyday...even our pets. It's important to make the right connection with them, because that is what we are made for... to understand, support and help each other, especially in this world that's loosing its horizon and everything is becoming more fictitious and shallow. It's our responsibility to attach ourselves to a more human sense of being human, and to make each day count. I'm an old woman, and I have loved, I have suffered and yet still I am here, I am convinced that life has to be sparkled, it has to be filled up with light and if we don't do it, then who will? Tomorrow when you wake up, be thankful for doing so, and find the light all around you... life is too short to waste it on things which aren't worth it."

While all these words were spoken, I couldn't help but noticing her eyes fixed in mine. She really meant them. For a moment I was a little taken aback, as If she could read me, but maybe it was a figment of my imagination. In those 23 minutes of journey back home, this sweet and well-spoken lady, touched my heart. And her affirmations touched a cord, they were not new but certainly not put into practice by me. Of course I have come across with encouraging messages on social media and that kind of things, but them, being spoken wholeheartedly by this lady took another turn and made me internalize them more profoundly. Perhaps it was because this lady in particular was so soothing to listen to, that even though she mentioned she's even disliked people in her life, she made herself "better" in a sense of being more conscious of her actions, thoughts and words. The following days, I reflected on what she'd said, and somehow I felt a bit better.

Some days later... I think it was a weekend, I decided to pick up a coffee nearby and walk in my neighborhood park which is something I don't usually do, but on that day I just did it since the sun was shinning and the weather in general was pleasant.  As I was strolling through the park, I saw the same lady. She was dressed up beautifully, in white and beige blouse and long skirt. She was sitting down and feeding some pigeons who we eager to devour every single crumb of bread thrown at them. She saw me coming up to her and with a beautiful smile she said: "How beautiful you look today dear, oh!, look at you! I hope you have thought of what I told you when we met. Here!..." she reached for her bag and took out a copy of the book she was reading that time in the bus, except that this one seemed much newer. "I took the liberty of acquiring this copy for you" She took my hand faced up and deposited the book in it while taking my other hand on it and placing hers on top of mine. "I knew that I'd certainly see you again. That day you were so grey and cloudy my dear, and I thought that a beautiful young girl like you should irradiate beautiful and bright colors. Come and sit with me so we could have a nice little chat... so tell me, how are you....". I was so gladly surprised that I just hugged her, and in that moment I thought of my mom and granny. That warm feeling of hugging someone you love so candidly. "I can assure that you will love this book. Make the most of it and when the time comes, help another one and lift them.." she said. 

Sometimes, we disregard people in general, we just walk in a rush here and there, we work, we go back home and repeat it all again and again. I needed to stop for a minute and look around me, examine myself. That old lady was a blessing I wasn't counting on, that angel or messenger was there for a reason. She lifted me up without asking anything back. Just an old sweet lady who happened to be at the right place and time to save me some way or another. Life can sometimes gift you with the most unexpected surprises...