World is round and small

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

-Maya Angelou

  

In our journey of life, we meet many people, friends, relatives.  Some enter in our life and make a permanent residence in our life and some enter and make an exit and we don’t even notice.

In the initial days of my daughter’s treatment I use to travel from Borivali to Bandra for my daughter’s therapy. During those travels I have met with variety of people, giving suggestions, showing sympathy etc.

During one such commute, on my bad travel day I would say I met a person whom I thought is just another lady giving me her piece of mind, and I thought of never meeting her again in my life. On that day, as usual I boarded a local to go to Bandra, and managed to find a seat beside a lady with a daughter of around same age as mine. My daughter as usual was in her crankiest mood and was troubling me a lot. So after much hesitation the lady asked me where I am going, what treatment etc, etc. Then she introduced herself as a physiotherapist and gave me her card and I thanked her and got down at my destination.

I moved on my life as usual, with its ups and downs, many therapist changed, I changed doctors, shifted place of therapy to Borivali etc etc. One fine day in the clinic where I was taking daughter’s therapy I was told since her therapist is leaving for higher studies a new therapist will take over and her name is Smriti Shetty. That name rang a bell in my ears but couldn’t make out why? After few days she joined the clinic.

My first reaction was “I have seen her somewhere”. Trying to recall where I have met her I came home and started to search for the visiting card that I was given by the physiotherapist in train few years back.

Next day I took that card and showed her, “Is this your card? Remember we had met few years back…” She gave me a blank look and suddenly we started to laugh. She recalled the day we met. Yes, Smriti was the same therapist whom I had met in train. The scene was straight out like a movie scene. It’s been more than 3 years that she has been training Prerna, and I can say we are good friends, and moreover she being a good therapist has worked hard on my daughter and brought her to a much better state then she was.

Smriti and Prerna

Someone has truly said “world is small and round”. Who had thought that a casual meeting in train would turn into such a rapport and good friendship? Moreover we have so much in common, both are of same age, our first born, daughters are born 15 days apart, hubbies are Arians… I’ll surely miss her, as she is leaving the clinic this month end.

In this journey of my daughter’s treatment, I have met several people, some helpful, some genuinely concerned, some nut who gave me advice as if they are expert in this matter.

Another person about with whom I had a unique experience was a lady who was a saleswoman in supermarket. I had gone with my hubby and Prerna to get our monthly groceries, and a saleswoman of that store had been keeping a close eye on Prerna. Finally she came up to me and asked “Does she have polio?”  Since daughter’s lower part of legs are slim, they look weak and this is common question I am being asked by many onlookers. So as usual I said no and I moved on. But she was persistent and kept asking me many questions like “Are you giving her treatment? Does she eat properly?” etc. I could sense my hubby boiling with anger. But I just kept avoiding her and doing my work. Final straw was, she told “her legs are weak, she doesn’t have blood in her body, give her blood”. I just lost it and I asked “are you doctor? I know what to do, you do your job” and moved to billing counter. That was the last time I ever saw her there and my hubby came to that supermarket with Prerna.

Throughout my journey I have met therapist like Smriti, Sujata, Priya, Anagha, who have always been there to advise me on Prerna and also otherwise, met and made good friends, some weird people giving me some stupid advice and remedies, to blaming me for my daughter’s condition, so on and so forth.

One blog is not enough to write about all people we meet in our lifetime and make an impact in our life.

  “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”

-Marcel Proust

I am taking part in The Write Tribe Festival of Words 8th – 14th December 2013.