True Love

What’s true love? How do we define it? Is there any particular definition of true love? Does true love exist? We quite often come across this question or at times ponder about it. Until sometime back even I had no clue about its definition but  few days ago I found this article called "True Love" while having sukha bhel in Mumbai’s local and now I really don’t need any definition for true love because now I know what true love is and can be!


Nurse: “It was a busy morning, approximately 8:30 am, when an elderly gentleman, in his 80’s, presented to have stitches removed from his thumb. He stated that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. I (nurse) took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him.
I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On examining it I found out it was well healed, so I spoke to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his stitches and redress his wound.
While taking care of his wound, we began to engage in conversation. I asked him if he had a doctor’s appointment this morning somewhere else, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.
I then inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and she was a victim of Alzheimer disease. As we spoke and I finished dressing his wound, I asked, if she would be worried if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.
I was surprised, and asked him. “And you are still going every morning, even though she doesn’t know who you are?” He smiled as he patted my hand and said. “She doesn’t know me, but I still know who she is.” I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, “That is the kind of love I want in my life.”


The above instance conveys a message, a message that we can hold onto for our entire life without any second thoughts.

True love is neither physical, romantic nor restricted to one’s beauty too but true love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be. ---  Holy Prophet Muhammad 

Do you love someone to this extent? :)

Catching Butterflies

Speckled with an assortment of colors and hovering above a petite and sweet-smelling scarlet rose in the corner of a glowing and peaceful garden, the free-spirited butterfly is a sight for sore eyes. As if that wasn’t enough, like a ray of sunshine, clad in silky and flowing amethyst colored frock, a little girl trying to grab hold of the butterfly, reminds the struggle you faced in your childhood to do the same. As you contemplate, a chain of thoughts attack you. 

Did you ever try catching a butterfly? Did you grasp it? Did you try enough? In spite of the tiresome and wearisome chase why couldn’t you capture it? Were you supposed to catch it anyway?

May be and may not be. 

You follow them as they are fluttering around. Darting and diving as they land on something and as you approach them cautiously they go this way & that way and just as you think that you might have them in your grasp, they are gone. But you don't give up and you keep trying over and over again, trying to do everything you can to catch those ever elusive butterflies. Eventually, you wear out over trying to obtain something that maybe you were never supposed to have. Just is the way of trying to obtain someone’s respect, appreciation, approval, or even their love....these are the butterflies that I am speaking of! It could be from a friend, a wife, a husband, a sibling or maybe even one's parents. 

Since an early age, I have been chasing certain butterflies. No matter what I did or how many times I tried, no matter how much time and effort was invested, those butterflies always evaded me. After not just years but decades of trying to catch these butterflies, I have had to conclude and confess that I was spending years in denial. I was never supposed to have those butterflies in the first place. They were just not meant to be.

As the years have gone by, it has been like someone was using very fine stroke of unkind words, disapproval, rejection, disrespect, or even their hatred that was being rubbed down over my mind, heart and soul. Slowly but unquestionably it had been smoothing out any feelings that I had until there were none left…totally void of any emotions. I have given up on chasing those butterflies. Sometimes, life without all of those other butterflies can be a sensible and satisfactory thing, especially when you accept the fact that you tried your best, it is out of your control and reach to continue chasing them any longer.