Say Yes To Yourself—It Feels Good!

Gunjan ran a tailoring shop. She concentrated hard as she worked an intricate pattern on the fabric as ordered by her client. That's when she heard her phone ring!

She looked at it to check who the caller was and was delighted to know that her sister was calling her from the USA. Gunjan's sister lived in the USA with her family for several years.

Gunjan slid her index finger on her phone to answer the call, and she heard her sister sing, "happy birthday to you!" 

"Wow!" Gunjan thought as she glanced at the calendar right above her cutting table. The calendar had so many notes of her deadlines that the dates were barely visible. "It's my birthday, and I didn't even remember." Gujan thought as she giggled in embarrassment as her sister's family took turns to wish her.

"Hey, I am sure you wouldn't remember it is your birthday if I had not called, right?" As she got back on the phone line, Sarika, Gunjan's sister, said.

Gunjan nervously laughed as she said, "yeah, I had some urgent orders, and I was engrossed in work." 

"Oh, Gunjan, show yourself some love today, take the day off, see some friends, or go shopping. Don't you think you are working too hard?" The sisters spoke for a while before disconnecting the call. 

Gunjan sat on the chair behind her desk, thinking of what her sister had told her. Sarika's words kept ringing in her ears. During their conversation, Sarika had invited Gunjan to the US to test the waters and advised her to re-locate if she felt better and more comfortable there, and for the first time in her life, she thought she should take Sarika's advice!

Gunjan rose from her chair, and as she stood up, she caught her reflection in the mirror on the wall. She was a beautiful woman, a few years short of forty but did not look a day older than thirty. Life had dealt her a cruel blow. She was still newly married when her husband suddenly fell ill and was hospitalized. After running a few tests, the doctors told her that her husband had suffered a renal failure and needed dialysis. She could still remember the day when her whole world fell apart. She couldn't even express her pain because her husband and his family were devastated by the news. 

Gunjan had spent the best part of her life taking care of her ailing husband. That was the primary reason for starting her tailoring store, for that was the only way she could pay his expensive medical bills. And then, they lived in a joint family, and her husband's brother wasn't doing well financially. Gunjan also provided for the household's needs and took care of the educational needs of her niece and nephew.

But now, her husband had expired, and she had no children of her own. She always loved her brother-in-law's children as her own and provided for their every need, which gave her great joy. Her sister's words broke into her thoughts, "show yourself some love. Come to the USA and start afresh."

"I should do that. Let me go on a holiday, and if I can find work, I will settle there. After all, Sarika is there to help me. How will I tell my husband's family?" Gunjan hesitated and began to rethink her decision. "Will they misunderstand me?" Gunjan kept thinking about it for a few months and finally decided to call Sarika and communicate her decision.

She picked up her phone, looked for Sarika in her contacts, and quickly dialed her number. Sarika picked answered the call saying, "hey, WhatsUp!"

"Sarika, it's about what you said to me on my birthday." "Yes, tell me about it. What have you decided?" Asked Sarika. "The answer is yes..." said Gunjan. "Music to my ears," Sarika cried out, asking, "when? How soon?"

"As soon as possible," Gunjan said, laughing. The two sisters spoke for a while, and then Sarika said, "I can't wait for you to get here. Please hurry!"

Gunjan looked at herself in the mirror. She had not taken care of herself in the years succeeding her husband's death. She now thought, "I can't go to the US looking like this, and I don't want to embarrass Sarika!"

Gunjan went about with the preparations to leave for the US. She promised to find a job in the US and support them. Gunjan had decided not to come back. She had lived for others all her life, but now she had to start living for herself.

Soon Gunjan reached the USA. She had already told her sister that she was coming to stay and got her documentation done accordingly. With her sister's help, Gunjan got a job in a garment store and loved working there, and that's where she met Jairaj. They soon became friends, and before they knew it, they realized that they were in love with each other. 

It was a year since Gunjan had come to the USA, and Jairaj invited her out for dinner. He popped the question, and Gunjan happily accepted. She returned home and told Sarika the news. Sarika was overjoyed; she hugged her sister, saying, "I am so happy for you!" Gunjan hugged her sister back and fought back the tears as she said, "thanks for reminding me to love myself, and I did just that."

That's when her phone rang, and it was her niece from India. Gunjan broke the news to her, But unfortunately, her niece took it badly and said, "if you do that, you have no relationship with me."

Source

Gunjan cleared her throat as she said, "Sorry to have hurt you. But I have just started living, and I am not turning back, and if you change your mind about this, your know where to find me!"

My Thoughts

Gunjan forgot herself as she provided for every need of her family. But there was a reawakening moment in her life, and thank God she woke up to a new life!