A Canvas of Joy
A Short Story
I was always brave, or I have always tried to be. My name, Anushya, means the same.
I sat on the sea sand, looking with serenity at the calmness of the night sky, duly disturbed by the snowy white of the bright moonlight. Waves approached with a loud rush to drench my bare foot and give me that natural sea spa one after the other.
I remember my grandma once saying waves knew stories of people who drenched their legs in them. If God is present in all the elements of nature, then majestic sea waves, knowing the stories of human beings, must be a sure possibility.
Thinking so, I gradually opened my life diary for all of you to read by revisiting and reflecting on my box of memories.
As I closed my eyes, I felt the cool sea breeze caressing my face and the sound of the waves lulling me into a peaceful state.
My mind took me back to my childhood, to the days of innocence and joy. I remembered the long summer days spent playing with my friends in the park, the taste of ice cream on a hot day, and the thrill of riding my bike for the first time.
But my memories weren’t all happy ones. On the way, I was shrewdly intervened by the thoughts of hard times and struggles I had faced. I had learned from those experiences and grown stronger because of them.
I am grateful for every experience, good or bad, that has brought me to where I am today.
My curly hair adds a touch of uniqueness to my appearance, with a tint of aromatic sindoor on my forehead and strawberry-tinted lip balm to provide a pop of colour to my lips. I was all dressed like I wanted myself to be, and most importantly, I was all set to hear Yasswanth compliment me.
Years have passed, but it seems like it just happened yesterday that destiny brought us together. I know I sound as usual, but there is bliss in being Yash’s Mrs. I will tell you why he made me a better person, by all means.
My olive green top and my dark blue Tencel denim jeans that I wore today would also agree, as he was the one who got them for me.
The fab couple who brought me into this world and who tops my gratitude list will always be Mom and Dad.
Anu, you have school today. I will give you ten more minutes to rest, but then you should get up and get ready.
If you miss the bus, we will have to figure out another way for you to get to school, as your dad left for work early today.
So please, wake up and start your day. I know you are a good girl, and you can do this.
Mom usually woke me with such dialogues, followed by the loud cooker whistles.
An ear infection that happened when I was three led to a speaking impediment whose scars remain now, buried deep down at the bottom of my heart. Speech therapy sessions were always a part of my schedule every day after school.
My parents, being famous lawyers, were worried. But, being supportive and understanding, they focused on providing me with the best possible treatment and support to help me overcome my speaking impediment.
They ensured I attended all my speech therapy sessions regularly and encouraged me to practise my speech exercises at home.
They also took the time to listen to me when I spoke and never rushed or finished my sentences.
My parents loved and accepted me for who I was, regardless of my flaws.
I had two best friends, Saraya and Prabhu, who always saw me beyond my speech defect. They understood that even when I took time to answer their questions, they waited patiently, as they knew I would always give the correct answer.
Even when all my classmates stayed away and sometimes made fun of me, both Saranya and Prabhu were always there for me. It was when both my friends were around I felt school was the best place to be.
I almost forgot about my problem when my friends were with me. In every PT session, my friends played word games to help me.
They made it a point to include me in every activity they did and always encouraged me to speak up. They never made me feel left out or different and always treated me with the same love and respect as they did with each other.
Their kindness and patience towards me not only helped me improve but also gave me the confidence to speak up and express myself without any fear of being judged or ridiculed. I felt blessed to have such amazing friends.
Their friendship proved that true friends do not see differences as obstacles but as opportunities to grow together.
Despite struggling with a speech defect in childhood, I persevered and worked hard to strengthen my oral muscles through speech therapy.
My determination and effort paid off as I slowly recovered from my speech defects. However, the impact of my childhood experiences did not end there.
I naturally had low confidence during college, and my friends were not there to support me. Even then, I did not let it hold me back.
I focused on my strengths, and my intellectual capabilities helped me secure a high-paying job in an MNC, becoming financially independent.
My friends Saranya and Prabhu pursued their passion, becoming an RJ and a famous YouTuber, respectively.
My expertise in coding and programming helped me become a team lead, where I could help young techies develop apps that made life easy for millennials.
Now, my dad is happy that his daughter, who trembles on the stage, has become the team lead whose keyboard spoke loud code languages.
Coming back to Yashwanth
I have seen the magic happen, but was it easy to protect the charm of the magic lifelong, I used to think. I had so many things that bothered me, and every time, he came up with a comforting solution. With Yash beside me, it has always been possible for me to see the magic. In every way, he knew how to win my heart.
Whether in my professional career or my role as his life partner, his contribution made life easier for me.
Let our hearts hold on to hope as the seashells hold on to the sound of the waves, he said to me in every difficult situation.
Yash was always silently proud of me despite his nature of not expressing love with words. I have come to understand and appreciate his way of showing affection through his actions. I was happy to acknowledge my luck for the third time. He was the one who made my personal life the most meaningful.
And for love, there are many definitions. In our initial days of marriage, love meant if their self-respect held the foremost place in our hearts when their happiness and needs came before ours and when we could give up everything for them but never even dare to imagine giving up on them.
But we both, over time, learned that love is mutual respect and support that we shower on each other to grow and evolve to be the best versions of ourselves.
He was the one who made me realize life was not something we live only for ourselves and encouraged and supported me to develop the most effective and highly recommended speech therapy app to help people with defective speech, boost their confidence, and help them achieve great heights.
With his support, I understood that parenting could be less burdensome, as he firmly believes it is a shared responsibility.
My 8-year-old daughter Pallavi is the one who transformed us into proud parents and is the youngest TED speaker speaking about success.
You do not need to grow up to be successful, and growth is not only for a short time but a process that happens throughout life, she claims
and pursues life with the passion of helping young ones like her become masters of public speaking.
Interestingly, I love to believe that my daughter got her speaking skills from her maternal grandparents, who were lawyers, while Yash argues that it may be from his mother, a bold teacher.
But we finally conclude peacefully by saying both sides may have contributed to her development. And we should acknowledge and appreciate the different influences that have helped Pallavi shape her skills and passion.
Yash finds joy in spending time with our daughter and keeping things simple. He loves a minimalistic lifestyle. Today, he wore light brown shorts and a maroon tee to prevent getting wet while playing at the beach.
As a nanotechnologist, he has a strong understanding of the properties and behaviour of matter at the nanoscale and is passionate about his profession. What is truly impressive is that he finds balance by enjoying his leisure time with our little human.
He knows the art of handling both materials at the nanoscale, and our little one makes her call him her super dad.
No matter how many hours she spends with her dad, she always looks forward to the weekends. Her eyes glow with happiness, leaving her attractive blackish-brown eyeballs shimmering like gold, and her light orange dress with elegant white flower embroidery gives her an irreplaceable charm. She seems to be enjoying herself, giggling and laughing. The sound of laughter is so infectious that it brings me back to the present from my long journey of thoughts and memories.
I took a few deep breaths, inhaled the salty sea air, and felt my stress melting away.
From a girl who admired others when they spoke so clearly and tried hard and showed up confidently and secretly drenched my pillows with my tears when I realized I could not speak up like those who I admired at school and then one day rose to help others who had similar defects as mine wasn’t easy. It was as painful as the two drops of tears fighting hard to roll down my eyelids.
When I say this, I can feel the heaviness of my heart, which is evident in the stiffness of my throat that would lessen once I cry my heart out. That was me, but once upon a time. Now, I have many reasons to laugh harder and smile wider on a lighter note.
We always think of what we don’t have as precious, but believe me, most of the time, we hold the most precious already but don’t understand its value as we already have it.
In life, we all love to have a non-judgmental, empathetic listener to strengthen us from the inside. Eventually, there comes a time when you understand that it is not another person but you who can be that listener who not only listens but also repairs your soul.
Nevertheless, my mom, dad, friends, Yash, and Pallavi have made me stronger; my life is simple and as beautiful as the footprints I leave on this wet beach sand, a canvas of joy to be etched in my memory.
As they play and laugh together, I quickly make a mental note to cherish these moments and make more memories with my family.
I feel happy and content, grateful for the present moment and the love and joy surrounding me. I stood up, walked up to my world, and hugged both for a moment. This time, it was irresistible happy tears that took no time to reach my cheeks. I was too quick to wipe them off, or both dad and daughter would make fun of me and call me silly.
Before waving goodbye to the waves, I turned towards them one last time and said silently, Thank you for being a marvellous muddle solver and a generous giver of peace and joy.
Anu, I think we should leave, as it is already late Yash said as he took out the car key from his pocket. I held Pallavi’s hand, and we boarded our car and got back home.
#StoryTellersBloghop #FictionWritersExclusive #ShadesofLove
This story is written for season 3 of #storytellersbloghop, hosted by Ujjwal Mishra and MeenalSonal on the topic ‘Shades of Love’.
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Mads’ Cookhouse.
Hi Sivaranjini, this was a beautiful slice of life story that you tried to portray. I would suggest you do give it another round of editing and maybe try to structure it with a proper middle, beginning and an end so that the beauty shines through.
Ok, will do the editing. Thanks for the suggestion had been trying to do it.
Nice take on the theme of love.
I could not understand this part so I had to read last year’s story to know the flow of the present story. Is the next part coming up?
As you say I would it for the next year
Hi Siva.. Loved reading the story, it was a tale full of life’s ups and downs and valuable learnings. But i think we don’t need to use subheadings with numbering in a short story, kindly check it.
Lovely story. So many shades of love in a single story. All deeply emotional and touched a chord.
Just a mention about the scenes .. is scene 3 written twice or is it supposed to be that way
What a lovely tale of triumphing against all the odds and acknowledging your flaws and working on your strengths. Inner peace and satisfaction are all that matters.
I loved reading it. But I think you can work on the format a little bit. No subheadings in a short story in my suggestion.
I liked the begiining, with the grandmother telling how waves knew stories of people. And then you touched upon love at different stages in life with different people, interesting.
A nice, emotional story.
This is a beautiful and heartwarming story of Anu who reflects on her life experiences, both good and bad, and how they have shaped her into the person she is today. From her childhood struggles with a speech impediment to her successful career as a team lead, Anu’s determination and perseverance are truly inspiring. I enjoyed the way the story emphasizes the importance of having supportive and loving friends and family, as well as the power of gratitude and reflection. The vivid descriptions of the sea and nature add to the overall charm of the story. Overall, it is a well-crafted and engaging narrative.
Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts about the story. 😊😊😊
Reading the first part is necessary to understand this. Please divide it into sections with sub-headings..it will be easier to read.
Will do that. Thanks for reading. But many suggest short stories must not have subheadings.
Long but heart-warming….will check out the others too…keep going
Beautifully described, Anu’s experience on the beach is truly a moment of reflection and gratitude. The calmness of the night sky, bright moonlight, and the sound of the waves made her reminisce about her past, both happy and challenging. It’s inspiring to see how her parents’ love and support, along with the kindness and patience of her friends, helped her overcome her speech impediment and grow into a confident and successful individual.
The story also portrays the importance of having a supportive partner in life, like Yash, who understands and appreciates the magic of every moment. It’s heartwarming to read about how he always found comforting solutions and helped Anu through difficult situations.
Overall, Anu’s story is a reminder that every experience, good or bad, shapes us into who we are today. It’s essential to cherish the happy moments, learn from the tough times, and appreciate the people who make our lives better. Thanks for sharing such an inspiring story.
I loved the quotes that appear in bold in between paragraphs Sivaranjini. My fav is ‘love is mutual respect and support that we shower on each other to grow and evolve to be the best versions of ourselves.’ What a beautiful definition. While reading, I kind of got lost somewhere in between, it could be because it’s quite long or maybe I should have read the first one first… I will do that now 😊
Love Love Love… there is so much in this four letter word… so many shades, so many emotions and so many colors. Love has no boundary but it demands expression to ensure love is reflected in you to make the other person or nature or anything you are in love with. I am a sea baby and hold a strong connection with the waves as to me the waves are the emotions within me. The waves when touch my feet I feel blessed and always feel they are kissing me and letting me know I am loved and cared. The story is full of emotions and well reflects the saga of LOVE and LIFE, but what I believe it needs a fine tuning and you can do it. All the best dear.
Love Love Love… there is so much in this four letter word… so many shades, so many emotions and so many colors. Love has no boundary but it demands expression to ensure love is reflected in you to make the other person or nature or anything you are in love with to understand and admire. I am a sea baby and hold a strong connection with the waves as to me the waves are the emotions within me. The waves when touch my feet I feel blessed and always feel they are kissing me and letting me know I am loved and cared. The story is full of emotions and well reflects the saga of LOVE and LIFE, but what I believe it needs a fine tuning and you can do it. All the best dear.
Hi, I read first part and then unable to connect it. But all I understand that it is the reflection of life with ups and down, the way she learns and how she became a good person. Please make it proper paragraph and heading so that it will easy to read.
Beautifully penned down! Life should indeed ne a gratitude journal. I love the fact that the waves know about our life stories!
When we have someone in our lives so supporting we can never think of anything that may create problems for us. in your story, yash will win everyone’s heart I am sure of this. the way he was a pillar to Anu and how things worked as a magic for her because of him is something very much inspiring for all partners.
This read hooked me tru, it was lovely to read tru Anu and her experience.
This read hooked me tru, it was lovely to read tru Anu and her experience. The way you face a challenge and come out of it bold is the way u won the battle for life.
I loved reading Anu’s story and feel happy seeing her content at the end !
Your story has left me thinking there are so many moments I am thankful for in my life. Even the smallest moment of having experienced the love of parents and finding my soulmate is so beautiful. There are so many shades of love and your story captured the simplicity of it all.
I enjoyed reading the narrative because it was full of life’s ups and downs as well as useful lessons. I liked how the narrative emphasized the value of having supportive and caring friends and family, as well as the need of thankfulness and introspection.
This is such a lovely and heart warming story. Must say that I got confused a bit with the- Scene 1, scene 2, etc. It felt like I was reading a script where I need to change the scenery of the following story into another location/angle like in the movies.
Lovely story. I liked how you divided it as memories. We always worry about what we don’t have. We should be thankful for what we do.
An interesting way to present the story as vignettes. It is great to read a fiction piece by you. I am off to read the first part as I do feel a bit lost here.
The beginning was beautiful. Though I read through the post, could not understand it in its full essence. Then going through the comments I understand that there is an earlier post too….maybe reading that one will help.
Your story has a very calming vibe to it, maybe because of the way you’ve begun, but it made me happy reading your story!
what a beautiful destination!! loved reading it. the start, middle and the end has got my heart out.
I really enjoy reading this , a very different kind of take on love, relationship. The beginning was great , with the grandmother telling how waves knew stories of people. You plotted the shades of different people and their stories are amazing.
I loved your way of expressing Anu’s life and how positively the people around her helped her grow. Gratitude makes us grow fonder of good memories.
Wow, Sivaranjini. This is such poignant tale of various shades of love that starts from parental love to frienship to self-love to a companion/spouse’s love to a mother’s love. Life is never easy, but accepting the challenge head-on, working towards overcoming it alongwith the one’s we love and those who love us is what makes it fulfilling and beautiful. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful tale!
Heartfelt story, so many memories, so many shades of love.
Heartfelt story, it was a beautiful journey to read. So many memories.
Beautifully written. I loved reading Anu’s journey in life.
Good to see Anu happy in the end despite all odds. Love helps us conquer even the impossible:)
I could see how life has taken Anu on a ride experiencing different shades of love. I liked the comparision of waves with life.
There is a bit of Anu in all of us. The definition of love changes as life progresses and that’s true even for us. We learn to be grateful for things that we have and cherish them often.
An inspiring and motivational perspective on dealing with life’s struggle and still making the most of it. Your story acurately described how one life’s journey in itself is made of many shades and hues and we have to live through them all for the best experience.
Apart from some editing, a well written story reminiscing life and love in its various hues. Congratulations ❤️
Reading Part 1 soon 🙌🏽
Thank you so much. I was trying to be with the trend my first ever experience with chatGPT and that left me clueless
even after editing the nth time.
A tale full of love depicting many shades, stages, ups and downs. I enjoy reading stories with happy endings.
Love is a string emotion, your story has done the right justice to it. I like the way you have used quotes in between the paragraphs. Overall a good read.
I enjoyed reading Anu’s many shades of love.