Srikandi (For Hire) - English Version

Srikandi For Hire 2.1

Listen to this music while reading:
Lost Stars - Adam Levine

The morning sunlight seeped through the hospital window, brushing against Nadia's face as she sat lost in thought in the waiting room. At a glance, the morning sun seemed like a promise of a better day, but for Nadia, it was merely a reminder that time continued to pass while her life felt frozen. Her mind drifted back to the past, to moments when her life felt full, when happiness was still firmly grasped, before all the tragedies came and took everything away.

However, there was something different about her today. There was a vague feeling, a subtle urge pushing her to rise, to no longer drown in sorrow. This didn't mean the pain had vanished—no, the wounds still existed, haunting every corner of her mind. But today, amid the silence and the monotonous sound of hospital monitors, Nadia felt as if a glimmer of hope was beginning to grow, slowly but surely.

Nadia closed her eyes, trying to reflect on the journey she had undergone over the past few months. The sudden loss of her parents, Kiana's illness gnawing at her young body, and the alienation that increasingly dominated her life—all felt like a burden too heavy for her fragile shoulders to bear. But as the pain continued to torment her, she began to realize that perhaps there was another path she could take—a path to heal herself through healing others.

Her mother had once said that within every trial, there are lessons to be learned, and now those words echoed in her mind. Perhaps the sorrow she experienced wasn't something she had to face alone. Maybe, by opening her heart to others, she could find a way to reconcile with her own pain.

The days in the hospital became increasingly familiar to Nadia. Each time Kiana underwent chemotherapy, she sat quietly in the waiting room, observing the people passing by. The faces she encountered there varied—some looked desperate, while others still held onto hope. However, beneath all of that, Nadia sensed a commonality that bound them: everyone in that room was fighting, each in their own way, to confront the suffering that gnawed at their lives.

One day, while sitting in the waiting room, Nadia unknowingly listened to a conversation between two patients sitting nearby. One of them, an elderly woman with graying hair, spoke about her grandchild who was also battling leukemia. Though her voice was weak, there was strength in the woman's words that captivated Nadia's attention. She recalled how the elderly woman smiled gently as she said, "Sorrow will never disappear, dear. But as long as we keep moving forward, we will find a way to coexist with it."

Those words felt like a balm to Nadia's soul. She looked at the elderly woman in awe, feeling that amidst all the suffering, there was a strength that came from calmness and acceptance. Perhaps, she thought, sorrow didn't always have to be faced with resistance. Perhaps, sorrow should be embraced and accepted, like an old friend who arrives uninvited but still deserves appreciation.

Since that day, Nadia began to change. Each time she came to the hospital, she not only came to accompany Kiana but also to talk with other patients she met. She started to learn that everyone had their own wounds, and though she couldn't always heal those wounds, presence and care could make a difference. With every smile she offered and every comforting word she spoke, Nadia felt the pain within her begin to heal little by little.

Kiana may have been the primary reason Nadia continued to endure, but through her interactions with the people in the hospital, she discovered that the strength to heal came not only from within but also from the connections we build with others. The more Nadia gave, the lighter her burdens felt. She began to understand that to heal, she couldn't do it alone. She needed others, and perhaps others needed her too.

In the end, Nadia realized that perhaps her life's path now lay in helping to heal the wounds of others. This didn't mean her own pain would disappear, but by sharing kindness and care, she found new meaning in her own suffering. In every step she took, a strength slowly grew, as if teaching her that behind every sorrow, there is always an opportunity to rise and offer hope, not just for herself but for others as well.

"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." — Alan Watts