Sunday, June 13, 2021

It’s OK


She stood there staring at the vast ocean in front of her. The grey, rough waves seemed to reflect the way she felt on the inside. She wanted to scream and shout, but she held it all within.

Minutes earlier she was at her oncologist’s clinic, who informed the cancer had returned, and  it was back with vengeance. It had spread to other organs. She had just a mere two percent chances of survival.

Her world collapsed when she heard this. She didn’t know how to react, what to do? So she wandered aimlessly around the city, till she came to the promenade where she sat staring vacantly at the sea in front of her. 

As the numbness of the initial shock began to wear off, she began to feel this sharp pain, as if someone had taken a knife and drove it right into her heart. 

She felt frail and weak, not just from the treatment, but also from what she had just learned.

Though she had held it altogether, she could no longer hold it all inside. She buried her face in her hands as the tears began to flow from her eyes.

And then something strange but extraordinary happened. She felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned around, she saw sweet elderly lady standing behind her. She smiled and hugged her. And then broke into song.

“You with the sad eyes

Don't be discouraged, oh I realize

It's hard to take courage

In a world full of people

You can lose sight of it all

The darkness inside you

Can make you feel so small”

And then another lady lifted her face, and smiled as she sang.

“Show me a smile then

Don't be unhappy

Can't remember when

I last saw you laughing

This world makes you crazy

And you've taken all you can bear

Just call me up

'Cause I will always be there”

And then all the passerby joined to form a whole chorus line of singers and dancers, singing 

“And I see your true colors

Shining through

I see your true colors

And that's why I love you

So don't be afraid to let them show

Your true colors

True colors are beautiful

I see your true colors

Shining through (true colors)

I see your true colors

And that's why I love you

So don't be afraid to let them show

Your true colors

True colors are beautiful (they're beautiful)

Like a rainbow

Oh oh oh oh oh like a rainbow”

And just like it started, everyone dispersed without saying a word, as if nothing really happened.

Was this a flash mob? She wondered. She tried to see if there was anyone. But no one approached her.

What had she just witnessed? Was it her mind playing a trick on her?

In all her thoughts she realised she felt much more calm. There was a hope that was burning bright within her.

What if she had only a two percent survival chance, two was much bigger than zero.

She had  fought valiantly, and she would continue to fight with all the might she could muster.

She didn’t come so far only to give up!

So what if she was lost, everyone has at some point in their life have been lost too!

She got up and walked, with a renewed determination.

She began humming to herself, and right on cue, a chorus line formed behind her, joining her.

“It’s ok, it’s ok, it’s ok, it’s ok

If you’re lost

We’re all a little lost and it’s alright

It’s ok, it’s ok, it’s ok, it’s ok

If you’re lost

We’re all a little lost and it’s alright”