Piercing Through The Cloud Of Confusion

In an age when social media is so often used to disseminate insults and disparaging commentary, my friend took to her keyboard and pulled me out of my darkness by shining her beaming joyful light!

Melissa had just quit her job, ended her relationship and settled on taking a possibly permanent break from the country that had been her home for the past 15 years. Her family were thousands of miles away and she was choosing to leave her friends behind as well.

When all the pieces of the life puzzle get tossed about, it is terrifying. Uncertainty is a fog that seeps into your thoughts leaving you with confused, muddled, skeptical doubt that continuously threatens to rob you of your perseverance, at best, and your sanity, at worst.

There were may days Melissa spent questioning her choices. And the closer she got to her departure date, the louder and more persistent the voice in her head became. It told her that stepping outside the bubble of her life to find true happiness and purpose was nonsense. The voice began to consume her, telling her that she was naive and inadequate.

But all it takes is one bright ray of sunshine to pierce the cloud. For her, it came in the form of an unusual friendship. A girl she met about 10 years ago. They only saw each other in person for a few days when they worked together but remained in contact via e-mail and then through social media. Melissa had told her friend about her plans and fears. About her choices, the trip and her future.

She probably looked startled because he looked away and said, “I just thought you should know. I guess that was weird.” He started to walk away.

And this beautiful soul, who I have not seen in ten years, decided to lift me up by dedicating her Facebook status to me. This was her status:

“Just wanted to give a shout out to a fellow New Yorker, dancer, creative thinker, traveler, writer, photographer, and so many endless other qualities and talents, that’s taking on a walking trip in Spain for a few months starting in May. That trek, that reason, that upheaval, you know that this will change you in many ways, but it will also solidify you, nurture and cradle you. I am bowing to that spirit within you that carries out the ideas it sets out to. Thank you for the inspiration. It’s always noticed and ever remembered. Be safe! And conquer your fears. What is a life without inspiration and friends that inspire you? I say it’s no life at all. Thank you and I and everyone that will like this post will wish you a great journey.”

– Edited by Soumya John

<< Back to Everyday Kindness