I have a strange neighbour whom I meet only in the evenings when she comes home from work. I find her odd because of what she wears every day to work - a frilly and feathery purple hat! It did not matter what clothes she wore on that day or if the colour of her clothes matched her hat because she would still wear it,
rain or shine.
When I first saw her, I could not help laughing rudely because the purple hat looked
ridiculous on her head. My friends and I would tease her behind her back and crack the most offensive jokes about her. Luckily, she never came to know about those awful jokes or my friends and I would have had a lot of explaining to do then.
However, as the months passed, I came to know her through our evening meetings. She was a surprisingly kind and sincere person. I felt sorry for talking behind her back. After several meetings with her, I found the courage to ask her why she always wore her hat. She told me that her grandmother had worn that very same hat thirty years ago. She wore it because it reminded her of her grandmother.
I was more than surprised by her answer because I realised what a treasure that hat must be to her. So she was not so strange a person after all since I too have some treasured things which I refuse to let go of, even when they look ridiculous and silly. |