When Life Stops Being A Mirror and Turns into A Glass

Sitting at the window panel of her apartment on a Sunday morning, Simran could barely see anything but a flooded playground across the road. The 7^th floor offered a great view of the downpour and a lot of cool breezes to enjoy with a hot cup of tea at 6 am; Simran never missed a chance to enjoy this moment. In the racing life of Mumbai, she always felt like stopping and enjoying the little moments that life had to offer. A nine-to-six job gave her a lot of success but took away the joy of enjoying some precious moments with her loved ones. A marketing job doesn’t allow you to indulge in anything else but work. Her laptop was her constant companion, which went with her practically everywhere; on her honeymoon, she went to the hospital for the delivery of her child and on all the family vacations. Having grown up in a lower-middle-class family with a widowed mother, Simran soon realized the importance of work and money. The dreams of a successful life were seen with open eyes and she was ready to pay for every bit of what needed to achieve her goals until she realized that the cost was crossing her affordability limits.

A hectic job like this didn’t seem to bother her even after her marriage for Vikram, her husband, was a pilot and had to travel a lot for work. While she did not have to be answerable to anyone for the odd work timings. But the arrival of a child changed a lot in the life and mind of Simran. The values of her dreams felt too small in front of her child. A maternity leave of 6 months brought a great change in Simran. While the work didn’t stop, nor did she let it suffer even a bit, now the happiness of playing with baby Kavish felt way more valuable than achieving any work target. The otherwise hectic life had now turned to be insane. While the baby needed most of her time, her work commitments took away the rest. While Simran had the option of taking 6 months of maternity leave, she opted for working from home because she didn’t want to miss the promotion she was expecting soon. The post-delivery decisions were getting too hard to accomplish post-partum but she left no stone unturned to give her best on all fronts. There hardly were days when she didn’t cry in the shower but never did, she never, let the world or even her husband see her tears. The amount of work and mental load had simply taken away her smile while her postpartum depression was not realised by the world around her. The otherwise cheerful girl now seemed to be irritated in all the situations and with everyone, yet her mental conditions were not really understood by anyone, nor even her husband. Vikram was having a tough time at work and the conditions at home were no better. The survival stress at work and the sad & depressed face of Simran at home make him feel helpless and irritated. The graph of arguments in a month was rising at high a pace and every little conversation between them ended on a bitter note.

Soon the maternity leaves were over and Simran resumed her office while Viram took care of baby Kavish, searched for a new job, and prepared for his PHD thesis. The previous airline company was declared bankrupt overnight, leaving thousands of employees jobless. Now is the only person working in the family, Simran’s responsibilities, stress levels and the need to work harder ascended. While time had turned the tables for both Vikram & Simran, soon did they realise how the other person might have felt a few months back.

Sometimes life becomes a mirror where you only can see yourself. And the day that mirror turns into a clear glass for you to see the other side too, situations start getting better.