Come September: we live in hope that we will see better times. Hope does keep us alive and acts as the fuel to keep us going. We all need that affirmation that everything will work out in the end…in various circumstances and chapters of our lives. Hope also allows us to never give up and keep the dream of being optimistic alive. The release of Dr. Kafeel Khan is an example of this. Justice after agonising days makes us believe that we must keep the faith. Trust the journey and trust the process no matter how many bumps are along the way.
As is the case in the episode of the ‘wandering book’ – travelling far and wide at its own pace and finally reaching its destination…arriving without warning but causing quite a stir!
My husband’s ‘Didi’ messaged me from Thimpu a few days back and wrote that the package that we had sent had finally arrived at the local post office and had been collected. She was absolutely delighted to receive it. For all of us, it was such a bolt from the blue and a pleasant surprise because we had given up hope at both ends of it ever reaching – eons had passed you see.
We then racked our brains and realised that the book had been posted in 2017 post my parents’ golden wedding anniversary celebrations. The book, written by my father is a modest biography and was also the ‘after party’ gift to all those who attended the celebrations in 2017 – a gesture of thanks and a small memento of the grand occasion, ensuring it remains a lasting souvenir.
The stamp on the envelope clearly upholds the fact that the year 2017 was indeed not a figment of our imagination. Didi and I were actually left incredulous and we discussed how exciting it would be to know the book’s journey. If only the book could talk, what tales it would regale us with or maybe it was shoved in some dark corner waiting to be rescued. This was literally taking an overseas journey to a whole new level. I remember after my husband had posted the book, Didi had called the post office innumerable times enquiring about the book. Months later, she had left for Australia and her daughter had taken on the task of calling the post office but finally gave up.
Once in a while we would recall the lost book and wonder what had gone wrong. Then one fine day…the book made an appearance! That is the reason we live on hope… And it must stay afloat. Those of us with optimism in our hearts always see success rather than failure, the sunrise rather than sunset, and it is the pillar that holds up to the world and allows us to cherish our dreams. Life is full of surprises and we keep our hope alive via faith or vision.
That life has a great deal of lessons for us is the reality of life's purpose. Everybody must live on this hope as we still have a long way to go. Like the travelling book, we must press on to that which lies beyond, reaching for the brighter glory unseen and with unbridled confidence that our small efforts in the right direction today will always count.
When we finally reach our destinations which we believe we shall, we will be filled with the awe of our adventures, bittersweet and sorrowful moments we've had, joyful and beautiful memories we've shared. Our hopes will never be dashed out, our dreams we'll achieve no matter what happens, when we are focused and determined. It is all about meeting our great expectations with greater responsibilities.
And finally ever than before, we will be more thankful for the reality of our hopes for better days…just as the book did rekindling hope and the anticipated exhilaration in savouring the book.