4 lines to rule them all

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Heres a visual representation of what your life looks like if you live above the statistical benchmark to the age of 80. Each square here represents one week at an average of 53 weeks per year To some this might seem morbid, but I find it fascinating, humbling. You see a box I see milestones; birth of a child. The passing of a loved one. Graduation. The first paycheck. Marriage. Happiness and sadness and everything in between all rolled into 4 lines connected together. I like to fill in each week as it passes, it serves the following purpose - acts as a reminder on how far I have to go, so I contemplate and reflect on mistakes to learn from them - helps in keeping my self aligned to my values and stick to my smaller seemingly mundane habits that will only benefit me in the long run (like staying active/ keeping relationships) - keeps me grounded on how much I do not know - a constant reminder on not to take small things too seriously as it will all eventually come to an end - lastl...
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The nights the trees whistled

About 10 years ago, I knocked on a door, but not before forcing a smile. It opened and I looked down to see a little girl with jet black hair, no more than 4 standing in the doorway just staring at me. Before I could say a word, she started speaking in fluent Punjabi, asking why I was there; was I there to give her Pizza? She had been waiting for her Pizza.

I instinctively started laughing, something I had been having trouble doing for a while 

My laughter triggered quick footsteps from within the house and a middle-aged gentleman came to the door. After glaring at the child he spoke to me in English, we exchanged the Pizza and the money. And as I turned to leave, the child pointed at me and said "Punjabi"

The gentleman looked at her and me and then asked me, in Punjabi, if I was Punjabi. I laughed and said I was, but not from where he was thinking. We ended up standing in the doorway for the next ten minutes, exchanging stories of hot summers and ceiling fans of unkempt gardens and the noise a Rickshaw makes, speaking candidly like we knew each other for years. 

He invited me in for tea, I declined saying I had to complete my shift. So instead he gave me some words of encouragement, told me he knew what it was like and he knew my parents would be proud if they could see how hard I was working 

I hadnt said a word about my troubles, maybe he could just see it on my face. I said nothing, thanked him and left

The trees were whistling around me, and it was chilly, but I walked away from that conversation feeling much warmer on the inside. I had needed that, Im sure even that man didn't understand how much it meant to me at the time because every now and then I think of that night and the kindness of a stranger

Be considerate to everyone around you, people remember how you make them feel, a random conversation you have with a stranger might be something they remember even decades later

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