THE YELLOW CANDY

©️ Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

He saw me standing lost in my thoughts,

He noticed that I didn’t ask for a coffee today,

His old experienced eyes perceived that I was not my usual self,

He waited for the moment when I would look at him,

The moment I turned around he waived and reached out to me with a yellow candy,

I took that one, and promptly he offered another one and a big toothy smile free,

And a smile begets a smile, so magically, the frown on my face turned into a smile,

Something eased in that moment and a twinkle returned to my eyes,

As doctors, we have to be kind to everyone, but sometimes a yellow candy of kindness can do wonders for us too. Such precious moments are enough to keep us going.

©️ Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

PS- “He” is the coffee vendor at one of the hospitals I visit.

(Picture courtesy- Parle Archives)