Life is beautiful and so is every moment in it. Sometimes, we fail to realize that. I have such a moment in my life which was indeed blissful and brimmed me with true optimism. Words are magic to me and I love weaving thoughts and strings of wisdom out of it. But, there came a phase in my life, which killed my imagination to some extent and landed me in a forbidden land of blank thoughts and gloom.

A year back, I was diagnosed with an auto-immune illness which curbed my physical strength and creativity. It was that time of my life when I learned a lot. It was a true phase of experience for me. When I was unable to do simple tasks on my own, I felt helpless and handicap. And when I saw people around me do chores or tasks effortlessly, I realized the true meaning of health and what a beautiful gift it is. But on the inside, I was getting weaker, depressed and pessimistic. I was deteriorating.

I was at the loss of words and despite my endless efforts, I felt that I lost my imagination and the beauty of words. The true essence and charm of my life had silently left me and hence, the positivity in me seemed to get buried under the shadows of gloom.  My life really needed a pat of buoyancy and a push which would get me back to my real self.

Then in August, I got a mail from an editor of a poetry magazine in the US, stating that they liked my poetry “Revathy” a lot and it got selected to get published in the September issue of their magazine. That mail was happiness in disguise. I had submitted that poem to the magazine editor in December, 2013 and after almost 8 months, I got a reply from them and at a time when I was almost lost in the world of despair. I completely forgot about it, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that it changed my life. It was a moment of sheer joy and optimism for me. The mail boosted my self-confidence and hope and it ensured back the fact that I do own the potential to write beautifully.

That moment, I got a message of positivity and zeal, which encouraged me to start writing and wake up from the long sleep of pessimism and stagnancy. In short, I would say, that mail, that moment, changed my life for good. I still remember, how happy and glad I was at that time and I couldn’t stop smiling and how my eyes reflected the mirth I owned.

Happiness happened to me and hope was revived back in my life. I started writing. Words, sentences, thoughts, poems and they just added to my wellness. I kept a diary to note my daily thoughts and it helped me gain optimism and happiness back in my life. I started getting better and my health too progressed to turn better. I participated in a few local literature festivals and wrote many poems. I even won a blogging competition online. I then submitted them to a few more poetry magazines and my life changed. It changed for good.

My story would have remained dull and my life, a stagnant one, but, God blessed me with a moment of bliss from nowhere and it completely brought my life and hope back on track, which was once derailed.

My poem “A matter of fate” which I wrote after I recovered from my illness. It deciphers what I learned from my life.

Destiny is not defined
by the outcome of events
but by the attitude you own.

As a good destiny cannot
bring waves of happiness
on the sand of life
unless you feel content.

And a bad destiny cannot
perch the birds of sorrow
on the nest of life
until you are optimistic.

So life is just
a matter of attitude
you live it right
you get it right.

This story is a part of Look Up Stories