The Stormy Night

Manasi sat on the edge of her grandmother’s porch with her shoulders slumped. The storm raging around them mirrored the unrest in her mind.

The wind howled through the bamboo grove, bending the tall stalks to their limits. Rain lashed against the tin roof. It seemed as though the relentless rain would drown the world.

“Looks like those stalks are going to snap,” Manasi muttered, her eyes fixed on the bamboo bending under the storm’s fury.?

Her grandmother set her tea down and glanced at her knowingly. “You have been quiet all evening, Manasi. What is bothering you?”

Manasi hesitated, then sighed. “Everything, Dadi. My project at work is a mess. My manager said I need to step up, but nothing I do seems good enough. And then there’s Kavya…” She trailed off, her voice heavy. “We have been friends forever, but we had this fight. I don’t even remember how it started, but we are not talking now. I just feel… soooo stuck.”?

Her grandmother leaned back, her wrinkled face wore a calm expression. “That storm in your mind is louder than the one out here, hmm?”

Manasi nodded, surprised by how perfectly the words summed up her feelings.

Her grandmother gestured toward the bamboo grove. “What do you see out there?”

Manasi frowned, unsure where this conversation was going. “Bamboo swaying in the wind. Probably about to break.”?

“Not break,” her grandmother corrected gently. “Bend. The bamboo teaches us resilience, Manasi. It bends during the storm, yielding to the wind, but it doesn’t snap. And when the storm passes, it stands tall again.”

Manasi looked at her sceptically. “So, what? I am supposed to just… sway through all this? Let life and people push me around?”

Her grandmother smiled. “Not quite. Swaying is not about giving in; it is about not breaking. It is trusting that you don’t have to fix everything right now. You can let the storm pass.”

?“And standing again?” Manasi asked, her voice tinged with frustration. “What does that even mean?”

Her grandmother’s eyes softened. “Standing again is what you do when the time is right. It is when you have allowed yourself to sway, to reflect, and then rise with clarity. It is about acting deliberately..thoughtfully, not out of panic or pride.”

Manasi looked at the bamboo again, its graceful movements in stark contrast with the rigidity of the trees around it. She thought about the pressure at work, her manager’s comments echoing in her mind. Maybe swaying meant taking a step back, giving herself permission to not have all the answers immediately. And Kavya… Perhaps standing again meant letting her love for her friend take precedence over her pride and choosing to reach out.

“What if you try to stand too soon?” she asked hesitantly.

Her grandmother smiled, impressed with Manasi’s questions. “Then you risk acting without understanding. Swaying lets you take time to observe, learn, and gather your strength. And when you are ready to stand, you will do so with purpose and grace.”?

The storm began to ease, the rain softening to a drizzle. The bamboo, which had bent and swayed through it all, now stood tall. Manasi stared at it, the metaphor sinking in.

“You know,” her grandmother added, “sometimes we get so caught up trying to control the storm that we forget to listen to it. Every storm has something to teach us.”

Later that night, as the skies cleared and the air grew still, Manasi found herself drafting an email to her manager, not to question decisions, but to seek clarity

Then she picked up her phone and sent Kavya a simple message: "Hey! Can we talk?"

For the first time in days, the storm in Manasi’s mind began to quiet.

Stormy nights often mirror our internal struggles—times of doubt, conflict, or uncertainty. I love the metaphor of the bamboo because it helps us see that resilience lies in knowing when to sway and when to stand tall again.

?Swaying is not about surrendering but about allowing life to flow. It is about giving yourself the space to reflect, to understand, and to let go of the need to control everything in the moment.

Standing again is about rising with purpose. It is choosing how to act after the storm has passed, with clarity and intention.

What helps you find your balance during life’s storms?