Completely exhausted she looks through her itinerary for the next day, dreading sleep as the sound of her alarm in the morning reminds her how little she had to sleep and how another day beckons with its needs, demands, choices, challenges and gifts. She wonders why life seems so fast lately and conversations seem so empty. She looks through her phone, scanning the chitchats, gossip, sensual jokes, political comments and internet feuds. Hissing at the emptiness of it all, postponing her replies to her best friend she drags her duvet over her tired body and curls up in her usual style in an attempt to find sleep. The soft tune of her favourite ring tone, jolts her back to reality as she reaches for the phone and reluctantly picks the call; wondering who will call her at this time with an unfamiliar number.
"Hello, who is this please?"
"It's Gina," a pleasant and familiar voice replies at the other end of the call. Scanning her head, she recalls it's her childhood friend whose number she has since misplaced and a smile replaces the irritated look she initially had.
"Gina what's up?"
"I'm fine," she replies excitedly.
"You have been on my mind dear, so I thought to call. How are you?" Hearing those words makes her begin to cry and she cannot seem to hold back the tears hard as she is trying to.
"Did I say something wrong?" Gina asks a little taken aback.
"No Gina, you said everything right. Thanks for asking me that, no one ever does lately. They tell me either what to do, what am not doing or what I can do better." The conversation goes on for another hour. Sleep finds her with a smile on her face that night.
The world is so full of pain, hate, anger, and agitations lately. Everyone is talking, lashing out on the other person because they somehow feel they are better off, know better or have made better choices. We would spend the most time seeing everything wrong with people, put up pictures, and touching tributes at the announcement of death. The irony is not lost on me, and I thought to remind us to ask someone today how he or she is doing and really, truly care enough to listen. We need each other, because in the end no matter the many things that differentiates us, we all are human and have similar needs. Someone can choose life over suicide because you noticed. Another can take that chance because you challenged. Someone can heal because you felt his or her pain. Love can be born today because you stopped longing and started speaking…
Please ask today!
