Teaching Me Something

Got a call and had a change in plans. I made my way out of the last carriage. I'm usually the last one to give my ticket when I alight at that particular station. However, this time, I surprisingly passed a couple of people.

Something was just different about them. I knew it the moment I saw them. When I was still behind them, I could see that they were communicating. As I passed by them, I caught a glimpse of hand movements. There was no sound. A few more steps later, I turned back and the picture was clear to me.

To put it simple, they were a deaf couple. I'm always amazed by how people with disabilities live their lives. I usually like to observe such things but I had to go back home soon, or so I thought.

I had to wait a while at the station as my father was caught up in a traffic jam. As I sat down on one of the chairs, I realized that the couple were also waiting at the station. I occasionally glimpsed at them.

I was kinda amazed by the way they were communicating with each other. They moved their hands with such grace and speed that I was finding it difficult to follow their hand signatures. They laughed at each others jokes (silently) as if it was a normal conversation.

Then, there was once when the guy waved a few sings and the girl just laid her subtle cheek on his shoulders. I could see that it was indeed a sign of love. Many questions popped up to me at that time.

How would it be for me if I had to go through that sort of life? I talk a lot and not being able to talk would be a curse to me. Yet, there it was right in front of my eyes, a couple understanding each other without even talking. Why is life so unfair to them? To me, they look like they don't feel inferior to others although they can't talk because they have each other.

The sound of the tyres on the railway tracks signalled the arrival of the next train. As the passengers came out of the station, I saw a friend of mine whom I meet sometimes around college. Well, she sat beside me as she had to wait for her father as well.

As our conversation progressed, I started to learn about how difficult her life was. Her parents are very strict with her and she doesn't have any freedom at home. Her parents have prohibited her from using a handphone and even disallow her to have a Facebook account.

She started telling me about how she had been coping with life despite all those adversities. She expressed feelings of joy when explaining about certain things that I would not even care about. She found happiness in the small cracks between her stone-walled life.

After she left, I realized that there was a striking similarity between to two situations. In both of them, the people knew how to appreciate life in the midst of hardships. I realized that I what I was going through during all these times wasn't really comparable to the things that they were going through.

If I can learn something from them, I would say that I should stop complaining about my life. Everyone's life is not so happy and nice all the time yet they still strive to find some happiness. That day, I realized that happiness is always there in one's life and it'll never come to us unless we make an effort to find it.....