Good Feeling #3 – Grey Sails

Maddie makes sure her Grey Sails

What matters the most is

how much you evolved

as a soul

Stories keep floating around us. But we don’t take deep interest in them or often avoid discovering them. If the story has a shock value, we tend to grow a little biased too. If it sounds odd, I’ve nothing to say. But what if, I say at one point of time, in our lives, we could be faced with our own story. Only the flow it follows may vary.

So, this is that story of the very passionate Maddie. Who is Maddie? She is the first iPhonOgrapher, I had the privilege to meet and become friends with. And, I am never going to forget one important thing about her; she gave wings to my first ever storytelling venture – EVERYDAY STORY MAKER. But the story, I wish to write today is not about Maddie herself but her passion. Friends like me, who know her will be heard saying – Oh yes Maddie is passionate about Warli Art, Tattoos, Crochets, etc. But this is not that story. This is a story about one reality, which calls upon us to become a part of the story.

Just imagine, one fine day, you look at yourself in the mirror and a strand of grey hair pops out. Immediately you catch hold of a pair of scissors and chop it off. Few days later, you spot another one. Few months later, a few more. A year later, the numbers start growing. So does your obsession. Heeding to some self-appointed experts, you rush to the nearest medical, general or provisions store. You buy a pack of either the old fashioned Godrej Hair Dye or a pack from the modern day range of hair colors. You taste success by hiding all traces of what is called as silver lining or greying hair or to be precise ageing. Beneath layers of all the artificial personality management, the grey waits for its moment to resurrect. And the moment the resurrection takes place, you get busy with the recreation. In short, all of us try building obstacles to disturb the premise, where the grey sails.

Let me now introduce you to this amazing friend of mine, who has escalated her thought process from obsession and turned this natural phenomenon into her personal passion. Ever since I have known Maddie, she has done what her heart has prompted. Be it painting; be it her own modern day interpretation of Warli art; be it making her home look like heaven; be it being her daughter’s best friend and the best friend to her daughter’s friends; be it being my friend as well. 

Maddie is not the one to shy away from reality. And look at the beautiful story that she has been weaving for some time. When I spotted her new journey of greying, I left the following comments on her photographs, which she had posted on social media and the comments she made:

Me: This new passion of yours is much more artistic than your own creations. If we have discovered magic in your creations, we are discovering happy possibilities in this new evolution of yours. Yes, I agree, we still follow the conventional norms of hiding our beneath heaps and layers of ammonia based non ammonia based hair color. Some still suggest Henna to be the best possible herbal way of hiding your greys. And we happily follow these suggestions. Maybe because, we are still obsessed with the habit of correlating the process of greying with the process of ageing. And honestly speaking, I haven't found graceful ageing to be anywhere closer to the natural course of growing old. So, when I see these updates of yours, which are as footloose as your soul... I can sense you saying something with your smile. You seem to be saying - EVERY YEAR, A NEW DIGIT GETS ADDED TO MY JOURNEY OF LIVING. DOES THAT MEAN I AM GROWING OLD? WHAT IF I SAY I AM AGEING GRACEFULLY AND THESE GREYS ARE A PART OF THAT GRACE, WILL YOU STILL BE CAUGHT IN THE JUXTAPOSITION OF IMAGINING... IS Maddie OLDER, SLIGHTLY ELDER OR YOUNGER THAN ME? 

Maddie: age is just a number 🙂 what matters the most is how much you evolved as a soul...Umra ka badhna toh dastoor-e-jahan hai... Mehsoos na karo toh budhapa kaha hai?

Me: Count or don't count. Keep a check or don't keep a check. The grace is worthy of appreciation. And there's that sudden glow. A glow that turns every negative feeling into something positive. In today's time, where everyone is seeking a cosmetic or a synthetic way out; here you're Maddie… Absolutely natural, absolutely inspiring, absolutely You.

Maddie: Ageing gracefully is my choice... We need to be honest with ourselves first, because constantly trying to portray someone, which you are not, takes a lot of effort.

This is the reason, why I am a fan of the passion, Maddie proudly exudes. Some may want to know; why do I deem Maddie so important or such passion might be a virtue of others too? Yes, definitely. But the courage that Maddie possesses is a virtue of a select few. And, Maddie is going to be always special to me…for the kind of person that she is; for the kind of mother that she is; for the kind of a human being she is; for everything that she is.

To conclude, when you see something new about you, don’t be taken aback. Embrace it. No matter, what the odds are; be it the blacks or the whites of things and also a trace of grey in your life… make sure the grey sails.

- Virtuous Vociferous | April 09 | April Blog-2 | What If | DaysOfAmazingExperience | 2020