Same, Same
I still haven’t figured out how to make delicious tea or poha, or how to respond instead of react.
“Same, same,” a mommy-friend says over a playdate.
A reassurance of sorts.
Maybe the world doesn’t need more people doing Pilates or drinking from Stanley cups. Maybe it does not need more people making more money or wasting less time.
Maybe the world needs real people to reach those who feel alone in the messiness of their lives. Maybe the world needs people who impress less and connect more.
To share one simple yet profound message:
“Same, same.”
Five Minutes
I am almost home. But I don’t go in. I wait in my building lobby. I slump into the leather armchair. Stay awhile. Soak in the sunlit garden. Watch the branches of one tree lush with green leaves. And another tree, half-bare, its slender branches stretching out in the sky. I enjoy the contrast. I rest my eyes upon purple flowers dancing in the wind. I let the wind play with my hair. I stare at the uninterrupted blue sky like it’s a gateway to heaven.
Because it is.
Inside, there’s laundry. Scattered toys. Curious questions. Unanswered questions. Clutter. Someone will ask what’s for dinner. Someone will talk without looking up from their phone.
But here, in the armchair, in my breezy lobby, for five minutes – I am no one’s mother, wife, madam, or didi. No one’s rock.
I am a person inhabiting a quiet space, breathing.
I take those five minutes every single day. They are mine. Entirely mine.
The house can wait. I can’t.
Don’t Hesitate to Tell People You Admire Them
If you like something about someone, please tell them.
A kind word can brighten a crazy day in ways you may never know. People carry wounds that most of us never see. They replay conversations in their heads, second-guess their choices, and wonder if anyone truly sees them.
Never underestimate the power of sincere words, especially compliments that linger long after the moment has passed.
These are the words people revisit while folding laundry, waiting in traffic, washing dishes, walking through the park, or sitting alone in a doctor’s waiting room. Words that quietly accompany them through everyday moments.
Sometimes a single sentence changes the way someone sees themselves.
“You walk like you own the world.”
“You have a way of making people feel safe.”
“I love how you make everyone feel included.”
Tell people you admire how they listen without interrupting. Tell them they have a calming presence. Tell them they make a room feel lighter simply by walking into it.
To you, it may have been an offhand remark. To them, it may be the anchor they return to in their darkest hours. A sincere compliment continues to echo long after the conversation has ended.
So don’t hold back – speak kindly, speak honestly, and speak often.
You don’t know whose story you might help rewrite for the better.
