Every once in a while, you come across a person who touches your heart in a way that few can. I have been lucky enough to regularly come across such people. These people have, without actually trying, inspired me, taught me some of the most important things in life, and made me see myself differently. God surely seems to like me a lot, because yet again, I have the privilege of getting to know someone truly special. And she is special in absolutely every sense of the word.
I remember, it had taken me all of three minutes to form my first impression of her. I thought she was simple, intelligent, warm, humble, sweet, funny and most of all, quite enigmatic. (For the skeptics, yes, I can think at least that much in 3 minutes) Now, seven months later, I can add another thousand adjectives to those, but the core impression remains exactly the same.
The first thing you notice when you see her is her million-watt smile. These days, I'm on a 'No problem is too big' trip. And believe it or not, the root of this lies in that smile of hers. The world seems to make perfect sense when she is smiling. So if you have spent all your money, been dumped by your girlfriend, flunked in Applied Mechanics, and been kicked out of your house since you are about as useful as a sack of infertile soil, maybe you should see her smile once. You may actually spot a silver lining somewhere in that dark cloud of yours. And perhaps the best thing about her smile is the fact that it is so infectious. I think I have smiled more in the last 7 months than I have in my entire life before that. Sometimes, I'm even smiling to myself, just for the heck of it! But then a lot of people think I'm a bit off my rocker anyway...
Then, you have got to hear her speak. Every single word, no matter which language she speaks in, is pronounced in the most perfect way possible. English has never sounded better to me. A phrase as mundane as 'Good Afternoon' sounds like poetry when it comes from her. And I get the distinct impression that God has appointed a dedicated angel just to regulate the speed and volume of her speech. They are as perfect as Roger Federer's impeccable forehand.
So, I have just mentioned the two worst things about her. :-) Time for the good part!
Her attitude towards life, people, and her work are so nice, so warm, so genuine, and so simple, that it can be likened to the first ever 'Happy Anniversary' card made by a child for his parents. Every time you talk to her, you are amazed at how much sense she makes in her most perspicuous statements. The one that comes straight to my mind is “Why be a Gloomy Cloud?”. I think one can live a life around those words. She has the most wonderful ability of being able to look at herself objectively, and of even laughing at herself. Her earthy sense of humour, and her almost child-like demeanour, though wonderful, are merely part of a natural facade that is as delicate as light cotton wool, and which masks her innate strength and maturity. And perhaps these are the qualities that I like the most in her. Her strength and her maturity are staggering in magnitude and over-whelming in nature. She herself would probably ask me, “Where in heaven can you see this strength and maturity?”. My reply to that would be that, at least to me, they are in plain sight, as clear as daylight. Her personality, her attitude, her sheer presence, all give rise to a million questions, the answers to which are worth waiting a lifetime for.
Her presence has benefited me in ways that I can't even begin to explain. I have always loved the people I love to death, and I have always felt that I could never love them more. (I could definitely show my love more, but that is another story...) Somehow though, ever since I have known her, I get the feeling that I love the people I love just a wee bit more than I did earlier! I also think I have begun looking at myself differently these days. Not that I've begun liking myself much, but I think I've begun understanding why I'm not exactly my favourite person! :-) Another thing I have learnt from her is what else one can do with a toothpick, but that is a story that deserves a blog post of its own!
I could go on and on, but I guess the bottom line is that I feel absolutely honoured, privileged, and lucky that I can call someone like her my friend. Knowing how great God is, I am absolutely sure, (and she'll be the first one to agree,) that there are many more people like her out there in the world. My only wish is that every single person in the world should know at least one of those people...
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