Last evening, Aaliyah and I had gone to Mrs. Bradley’s to give her some freshly baked cookies. She greeted us with a big smile but I could sense that something was wrong. She offered us some yummy tacos. We three spoke about a few things here and there. She was not at ease and finally, I decided to initiate.
“What happened Mrs. Bradley? You don’t look your usual self! Is everything alright?” I asked. There was a pause. Both Aaliyah and I looked at each other.
“No, things are not fine. The new online venture I had started, crashed. Given this age, I can’t try again. I don’t want to bother anyone and make them feel burdened with my problems. I tried to hold it up but I’m not being able to,” she replied.
Aaliyah got her some water.
“You’re just being too harsh on yourself. Age is just a number! It’s never a barrier for anything if we have that determination. You can start at any time and with any new idea! A failure simply teaches what works and what doesn’t. It’s not the end. It calls for doing something new or doing things differently,” I replied.
She wiped her tears. “And, you never bother your loved ones when you share what you feel. You can always talk to us. Don’t hold yourself up. Happiness multiplies and sadness goes down when we share. So talk it out whenever you feel,” said Aaliyah.
She drank some water. Then she looked at both of us and said, “You both are right! I should not keep it to myself. I should evaluate the situation in a positive light!” She replied.
“That’s how the spirit should be! Now, we are going to ideate a new venture for you and make it successful together!” I replied. Mrs. Bradley gave us a priceless smile. And this time, it was genuine. Then we all sat together to watch a comedy episode to fill the evening with laughter.
Our perspective towards setbacks is what makes a difference! Shutting ourselves up and not talking about it can make the feeling worse. It can get difficult and wrong thoughts may clutter our minds. The real solution lies in reaching out to our close ones. They must know how we feel! This will not only make us feel better but also open the doors to new possibilities and ideas.