I lost a couple strands of hair
today.
Ammaa says that my hair will become stronger and shinier with the special oil
she massages on my scalp once in every two days. Everyone in the family has
loved my mane and the way I look. Dadi always puts a black teeka behind my right
ear to keep away all harm from me.
some of my classmates are beauty freaks. But instead of the natural beauty, they
go for all kinds of made up perfection to show others how flawless they look.
Following in their footsteps, some of the not so popular girls transform
themselves into someone they’re not, just to match the beauty standards defined
by other people.
All I see around me is that every person, be it a boy or a girl, is running
after perfection without actually realizing that their imperfections are what
make them unique. Everyone wears these fake masks for so long that their
originality starts to fade away with time. Today’s generation is all about
looking good instead of being good.
If you look through my eyes, even the overweight girl who carves out tally marks
on her body is as beautiful as the girl with spotless, shiny skin. Everything
that lives is beautiful. Every breath we breathe is a proof that we are a
miracle.
Amaa tells me at times that we are all living paintings and that whenever there
are tough times and one needs to find magic, all they need to look into is the
mirror.
I look in the mirror at times and try to love the reflection that stares back at
me. I look at my eighteen year old self and look at my receding hairline. My
beautiful hair, taken away by the chemo sessions.
My cancer got detected when I was seventeen and since then, my life has changed
completely. Earlier, I wanted to fit in. Now, I just want to live. This one year
of struggles has changed the way I look at life. Harry Potter series are my
favourite. The one thing that has me hooked to them is the fact that Harry
overcame every difficult situation and defeated the Dark Lord. If he can be the
boy who lived, I will be the girl who survived.
I lost a couple strands of hair today. Some from the very few I have left.
Thankyou,
Alina Fatima