Author: Syed Suhail Ahmad
April 30, 2025
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The morning after a long night of wind and rain, Mira and her grandfather walked to the pond beyond the garden. The surface shimmered with soft light. The storm had passed, but its memory lingered in broken twigs and scattered petals.
Mira peered into the pond. “It looks different today,” she said.
Grandfather knelt beside her. “The surface is calm,” he said, “but underneath, much has shifted.”
She looked at him curiously. “Like after the storm?”
He nodded. “Yes. After resilience comes reflection. After holding on through chaos, we need stillness to understand what changed.”
She blinked. “So… it’s like remembering?”
He shook his head slowly. “It’s deeper than remembering. It’s understanding what an experience meant. What it revealed about you. What it gave, what it took, and what it shaped within you.”
He picked up a pebble and gently dropped it into the pond. “What do you see?”
“Ripples,” she said.
“Exactly. Every experience creates ripples inside us. Reflection is the act of watching them. Not reacting. Just observing. We ask: What did I learn? What did I feel? What do I carry forward?”
She leaned against his shoulder. “But what if I don’t like what I see?”
He chuckled kindly. “Then you’re being honest. That’s a good beginning. Reflection isn’t about only seeing what was bright. It’s also looking at the shadows, and asking — ‘What did this teach me?’”
He continued , “Sometimes we must face our fears, mistakes, or wounds. But we do so not to punish ourselves—only to learn.”
Mira leaned closer to the water. “So, reflection is like listening to ourselves?”
“Yes,” he said. “And to life. It’s not just looking back—it’s looking inward. Noticing what helped us grow, and what held us back.”
She was quiet a while. “It feels… gentle.”
“It is,” he whispered. “It slows us down, like a tree resting after the storm. It helps us grow quieter, deeper roots.”
She was thinking of the challenges she had faced — the days she wanted to give up, the small wins, the moments that didn’t go as planned. Then she whispered:
“Is this how we grow?”
He nodded slowly. “It is. We grow not just through what we live… but through how we look back and listen. When we reflect, we find the lessons hidden in the noise. We see how far we’ve come. And we decide what kind of person we want to become next.”
She breathed in the stillness.
“I think I’m ready to listen,” she said.
Grandfather placed a hand over her heart. “Then the quiet will speak.”
She looked at the pond again. “And what happens after we reflect?”
He smiled. “We grow stronger.”
She looked at him. “What is strength, anyway?”
He chuckled softly. “Let’s talk about that tomorrow.”