I have heard so much about being strong that now I feel it has reduced to a cliché. Everyone tries really hard to achieve this. So, let’s face the obvious — what defines strength in a person, or more categorically, who is a strong person? In fact, when we talk about being strong, the image that generally comes to our mind is of someone fighting all alone, tirelessly, never giving up — someone who never stops until he gets what he wants. But is strength really limited to that, or is it more?
For me, strength is when you are bogged down by your problems but still keep a smiling, strong face before your kids. When the only thing you want is to cry in frustration over what’s happening to you, but still you go on with your life, caring for the needs of your loved ones. When you feel too depressed even to get up from your bed but still go out, say hello to your acquaintances, smile, and even make small talk — that is strength.
When you see a small fight between your kid and her friend going out of proportion because of the parents’ involvement, when you see your kid crying because of being a simpleton, when you are itching to give a piece of your mind to the other side but decide not to stoop to others’ level — that is strength. When your young one cries and asks you to help him sort out his things, but you don’t want to be an overprotective parent — that is strength. When you repeatedly ask your kid to behave well irrespective of how others are behaving — that is also strength.
When you deal positively with people who love putting you down again and again for reasons known only to them — that is strength. When you don’t even want to interact with such people, yet you take the initiative, reminding yourself to see the good points in them — that is strength. When your good intentions and positive outlook are taken to be your weakness, yet you continue — that is also strength.
Strength is believing in yourself irrespective of all odds, having hope for the future, seeing light at the end of the dark tunnel, and all the while keeping your head high and walking steadily on the chosen path. It consists of all these moments — trivial for one but life-changing for another.
Strength comes in various packages, big and small, and sometimes it is these small instances that come together to make a big one.
