Hero's Within Us

There's a hero

If look inside your heart

You don't have to be afraid

Of what you are

There's an answer

If you reach into your soul

And the sorrow that you know

Will melt away

And then a hero comes along

With the strength to carry on

And you cast your fears aside

And you know you can survive

So When you feel like hope is gone

Look inside you and be strong

And you'll finally see the truth

That a hero lies in you

I have always revered Mariah Carey to be one of the best singers with some of the most soulful lyrics which carry a deep message. Her song, “Hero” has inspired me time and again with its poignant melody and profound meaning.

YES! There’s a Hero in all of us. We tend to be oblivious of its presence because of our inner belief system which is plagued with self-doubt and cynicism. When was the last time, you said the glass was half full and not half empty. Or when you said, “I will seek the solution and not the problem.”

De ja vu, right? We’ve all been there and done that. Sometimes, the trials and tribulations in life knock us down. We feel this is the end of the road and “I just can’t do it” and then something happens. Some mystic power emanates from our being and heaves us out of the abyss and guides us on a path of recovery. That mystic power is the “Hero” within us. It is our prerogative to awaken that “Hero” and more importantly allow it to become the “wind beneath our wings” ( Yes, I am an ardent fan of Celine Dion too! )

Through this blog-series, “Hero’s Within Us”( https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4217706641948559869#allposts ) , I wanted to bring to the forefront real-life stories of people like you and me who have been stacked against extremely challenging circumstances and more importantly how they are facing these challenges with fortitude and exemplary courage. How they have ignited the prowess of the “hero” within them.

In the first of the series, I invite you to join me ( of course, virtually ) to the dialysis room of a famous hospital in New Delhi. I have the privilege of accompanying my mother for her dialysis sessions few times of week. Expectantly, one would imagine the place to be akin a hospital – tense, sad and, might I add, depressing. However, every time I go there, I am overwhelmed by the enthusiasm, fervor and positivity exuded by so many of the fellow travelers. And be under no misconception, dialysis is not an easy process. In layman’s language it entails a machine cleaning the blood of impurities since the kidneys have failed. It entails being connected to a machine for 4-5 hrs and during this time the body undergoes haemo-dynamic changes, the blood pressure can either crash or soar, the doctors are always on call however I don’t want to elaborate the nuts of bolts of dialysis because I want to focus on the “Hero’s” I meet there!

An affable Uncle buys coffee for everyone and because he is Mr Modi's-fan he distributed Kachori (an Indian delicacy) and sweets on May 23rd when Mr Modi won a landslide victory signifying his second term in the Indian General Elections. An Aunty goes around the room giving prashad of a famous temple she visited with her husband who is undergoing dialysis. Of course, her husband belies the demeanor of a “patient”. He walks in with a broad smile before his dialysis and walks out with an even broader smile. He also belies the fact that his son is undergoing cancer treatment in the very same hospital. Mind you, the effervescence of his smile has not diminished. There is another Uncle who comes from his office and his wife joins him later with home-cooked food which they eat together on this hospital bed a’la a romantic dinner. Then there is another Aunty, oh sorry, two Aunties who are impeccably dressed for their dialysis with beaded necklaces et al. And there are innumerable other narratives that fortify the anecdote of the hero’s within us. What unites all these fighters is there indomitable spirit. I salute them and my mother as well who undergoes dialysis multiple times a week and when we ask about her well-being she unflinchingly replies, "I am fine"

Among this pantheon of fighters are some inclusions that some folks might deem as improbable. However these so called improbable are truly the most inspiring. In my next post, I will share with you the story of two such inspiring young women.

Till we meet again in my next blog.

Life is Tough but we need to be Tougher because "A Winner Never Quits and a Quitter Never Wins!"