I returned day before from my monthly visit to my home town, New Delhi. I have been going for a week every month since September, 2013, when my mom had that fateful Meningitis attack.

It has been an uphill task ever since. With setbacks and achievements, the road has been exhausting for her! However, this time, I saw a marked improvement in her state.

I realise the value of small things that we take for granted. Appearance of emotions on her face, her tears – for the first time in six months, reflects that she is healing. The voice does not sound automated, distant, mechanical and cold anymore, it is that soft and warm voice, my mom’s voice. She lifted herself from her bed, albeit with great effort, but she did! Bravo… a feeling of triumph over what would be inconspicuous for most of us! In past six months, I have come to realise that these are enormous achievments… I have learnt to see life a bit more intently, learnt to appreciate it all a bit more…

Can’t thank God enough for these tender moments with my mom, these small, yet, great achievements and milestones… her baby steps towards recovery…

There was a day when my mom had tears of joy, when I took my first step… and today, I had tears of joy as my mom took her first steps, unassisted, after six long months…

Miracles happen, many have happened since September, wait for a few more… for her complete recovery!!

Bright shades of sunshine and the dull endings of the day, a toll on my own mood. I wondered what the hues meant. Bright and sunny or dull and rainy? Was my life impacted with this? Of course it was, it is!

The reason of my smile is the sun and the dark clouds bring me tears! Well, I sat and thought about the whys!

But at the end I realised, there is no point fighting it, I should just try and use this to my advantage!  And now, every time I feel blue, I reach for something bright and pink!

I may not be perfect, I may end up feeling low, I may not always look up at the bright side of the things, as often as I would want to, I am only human!

However, I feel reassured with my pink lipstick, tucked away in my bag… I carry the brightness with me! It feels as if I carry my sunshine with me… even when the tears approach, I reach for my lipstick, to smear back my smile…. to drive the blues away!

Brightness, only a lipstick away….