Lighting the Lamp Again

You know what nobody tells you about strength? It's not about never falling down.

I watched my grandmother light that oil lamp every morning, her hands steady despite everything

she'd been through. Three generations of women in our family, each carrying battles

nobody could see. My mother in her pink Adidas shirt at the gym, lifting weights

at fifty because she refused to let life make her small. Me, standing in that

corporate outfit, pretending I had it all figured out while my world was crumbling inside.

We all wore our saris and smiled for photos, but behind those smiles were sleepless

nights and silent tears. Here's what changed everything for me. I stopped waiting