Yesterday a friend and colleague from work sent me this picture of a desert hyacinth that he had come across when visiting an island off Abu Dhabi. It had bloomed after a full 5 years, because of the rains.
Many days of late, I have been feeling like a hyacinth buried under the sand, yearning hopelessly to bloom, needing a shower of love to end the constant, stifling darkness.
And they come- unexpected, unsolicited, like how showers always do.
It comes in the form of an invitation to lunch at home, or a box of home cooked food. A permanent place at a family’s dinner table. Someone knowing when I need a hug or a pair of socks and giving me one.
Sometimes it is a long phone call with a long-lost friend. Other times it is mindless laughter with colleagues at work. Or a gurgle from colleague’s baby in my lap, that reminds me of mine, far away back home.
Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve the kindness of these (once) strangers. I feel empty, unable to give anything back, yet I keep receiving love, and that has kept me alive these few months.
I know I will be whole once my family comes here soon, but I will forever be grateful to each of you, for helping me keep my pieces when I was breaking into a thousand every other day.
PC:Jameel Chahal
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