There are so many things we fear in life. They say it's all in your mind. If you let fear creep within, no one else can help you get rid of it. And how true these words are. But they also say, it is better said than done. Well, with me, I can be certain that it would really take a huge effort to overcome my fear. And yet at some point, I can make up my mind so quickly to confront what I fear.
The story begins with a walk towards the east gate of the campus today. I am with a friend. He challenges that it would start raining within 10 minutes. I am not quite convinced with what he thinks. There are grey clouds of lighter hues, coming in from all direction. The breeze has just stopped short of blowing. Every single leaf has stopped its movement. The yellow flowers of the Amaltas trees lay unmoved. And suddenly, the darkest of grey clouds one could have seen, appear above us. The wind starts blowing and the yellow flowers start showering themselves on us. And this is the moment when I feel the small droplets of water on myself. They are intermittent in the beginning. Eventually they come down heavily on us. The much awaited heavy showers in Delhi have finally made their way.
And at once, the mood changes. Everyone around appears so elated. No one is in a hurry to get under a shelter. They are enjoying the rain, so are we. We are getting all drenched under the sky. The drops are more pronounced by now. They are getting into our eyes making it difficult to keep them open. It has been long since I have enjoyed myself under the natural shower. The moment overpowers me. My heart knows no boundaries of ecstasy. I am completely overwhelmed. At this moment, I remember the town I grew up. How beautiful it looked when it rained. Back then, I would enjoy myself watching the rain from my balcony. Such a pleasure it had been during those days and such a delight it is today.
The story does not end here. As I haven't mentioned about the fear I have. I fear lightning. When I was young, it would scare me so much that I would run into the comforting arms of my mom or my sisters . And now that I have grown up, it still scared me until today. Though completely drenched, my friend and I have managed to find a shelter and regard it better to watch the rains from beneath a roof. While it stops raining, we can see some lightning every now and then. At every moment of lightning, my friend admires them, telling me they are just so beautiful. I don't see them as beautiful. It appears that the rain has now stopped. My friend goes out to check if it really has and calls me to join. I go to my friend. We are standing looking upwards to the sky. There is huge ray of light that shots in the sky, I react to it the same way I have done till now in life. A little while later, I tell myself to stop fearing it and face it with calm and courage. I am lucky!! The next time, there is lightning, it is in its full glory. I don't waver. I have kept my calm and it is because of this overcoming of my fear that I can truly admire the glorious lightning that I just saw. It was really BEAUTIFUL!! And I know, next time there is no more fear of lightning but admiration!!
