Everyone has a story

This is a story to ponder and remember. Mr. M was a security guard at an apartment complex two blocks from my house. I would pass by him on my morning walks. He would greet me with a salute and a million dollar smile, making me feel like the boss of a big corporation. 

On the day of Ramzan, he surprised me with a packet of sweets. I sat down on a stool next to him and asked him. "Bhai sab, why me?" I don't even know you."

"Sir, Allah has given me everything. I would like every person I meet to feel happy by doing what I can."

I asked him. "What about your family?" He replied in a soft voice. My son is an engineer working in Hyderabad, and my daughter is a doctor married to a cardiac surgeon in Melbourne. My wife died of COVID. "

My next question to him: "Why are you still working? Don't your children take care of you?”

His reply was heartbreaking. "Sir, the last time I saw or spoke to them was two years ago when they came for their mother's funeral." I learnt that he had worked 18 hours virtually every day, doing double shifts so that he could educate his children and give them a good life.

In the next few moments, I sat in silence. Slowly, I asked him if I could take a picture with him and write about his story. His reply stunned me. "Sir, what I did was my responsibility, which any father would do. By publishing my story, it would only bring a bad name to my children, which no father would like.”

My dear friends, this man had no complaints about life. In spite of whatever life doled out at him, he found meaning and purpose in his life. His story left a deep impact on me and made me reflect on the story of my life. There are several Mr. M's on this planet, simple souls who have led a selfless and purposeful existence in spite of the uncertainties of life.

Mr. M's remarkable life and story inspired me to write a poem- Everyone has a story. I hope it inspires you to find meaning and purpose in the story of your life.