The One Moment

Everyone saw her explode, but no one ever wondered what lied behind her sudden outburst. It came as a shock to everyone to see her suddenly pull out her own hair and scream at the top of her voice. The scream was deafening and resonated throughout the whole building. But little did they know that her 4.2 seconds of outbreak was actually years of continuous disappointment and frustration.

One by one, all the blows she received since her young age came flashing in front of her eyes. If her life were a book, each page you turned would narrate a story of the pain she felt, each one more painful than the other. Her childhood days sprung in her mind, where even at a very young age she was victim of racism and bullying. All the heartbreaks she had year after year emerged in her mind and stabbed her again in the heart. She remembered how she felt torn apart into pieces after each heartbreak she had. She started reviewing her past, trying to figure out what she could have done differently but each time she went down those roads again, her wounds would reopen. Each incident she recounted made her feel like her world was crumbling down in front of her. All the heartbreaks suddenly merged together into a wrecking ball and sabotaged the little self esteem she had left. All the things she ever dreamed of having one day all collapsed like dominoes. Whenever she decided to stand tall and create a better future, she would suddenly be hit by another blow and like a ripple, one adversity would lead to the next. She used to find solace in music but even music could no longer bring her the peace she needed.

When she finally opened her eyes she saw all her colleagues eyeing her in distraught and concern. She flashed a fake smile at them but knew that it was a very ineffective attempt. Seeing the pitiful look on her colleagues eyes, she decided to gain her composure. She wiped her tears away, picked herself up and dusted herself off. " I will no longer allow any negativity come my way anymore", she said to herself. She winked at her colleagues and genuinely smiled this time and decided to take every mishap as a challenge and consider them as a stepping stone to a brighter new person. She would no longer allow the waves of disappointment get to her but would now go with the flow and swim with the tides. She would now paint her own destiny!