For a special day

It has been a while, and I don’t know where to begin 😊. So how about I start with a story.

Before I start, a little disclaimer - This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, events, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

But you know where the inspiration is coming from 😉, at least for now.

//Chronicles of Sam

Episode 1: A story we are here for

It was exactly 6am when she came running into her parents’ bedroom “Daddy, Mommy, I am late for school!! Today is the first day of my chess class and I don’t want to be late.”

Sam’s dad woke up first, looked at the clock and whispered in amazement and half sleep “Sammy, there is still time. Go back to sleep.”

But Sammy was adamant about waking her parents and so she did. While Seth and Tara were still waking up, Sam did her morning routine with utmost efficiency. She made her bed. She brushed. She got ready for school. She decided not to rely on her parents for breakfast that morning, because she didn’t think she could. Instead, she went downstairs to the kitchen and took her own bowl of favorite cereal with milk.

By the time she was done with her cereal, Tara came down into the kitchen. At first, she admired the wonderment of a child Sam was – fierce, independent, someone who knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it. Then she remembered there were 10 minutes left to go to school for Sam’s early morning chess class, and there was breakfast and lunch to be prepared! Breakfast for Sam’s two brothers – Ray and Kay, and lunch for Sam.

Just in time, their 2-year-old Aussiedoodle, Oz, came running downstairs and stared at Tara with an intense look that only he could give. Screaming with his deep blue-brown eyes, “Where is my food mommy, it is about time!” Tara told Oz “I know! I know! But you have got to wait, Oz. I need to make sure Sam does not get late for school.”

Sam said, “Don’t worry mom, I can feed Oz. Oz, come on boy, let’s get some food in your belly.” And just like a champ she was, she took out some kibble for Oz and asked Tara to mix some rice and yogurt in it so she could give Oz his food.  

Tara made breakfast & lunch, and in her typical morning fashion started to yell at all three kids “Kids, come downstairs. NOW!!”

Before anybody knew it, Sam was sitting in the car, with her shoes, jacket, and backpack on. Waiting for Tara to get her act together and drive her to school for her chess class. It was a quick drive, but Sam’s favorite conversation in the car is almost always about her next birthday, when she will be 11 years old. She told Tara, “Mom, on my 11th birthday, I will stay in my room. You, dad, Ray and Kay can be downstairs and decorate so you can give me a surprise. You can let me know when you are done so I can come down and be surprised.” So, this is how her 11th birthday will be celebrated. Sam had decided this the day after her 10th birthday.

At the school drop off location, Sam’s chess coach, who she refers to as the chess wizard, came to get her and other kids into the class. Sam likes to play against the chess wizard, versus the other kids. It totally works for the wizard as well, so she is in good company.

At the end of the school day, Sam gave the biggest, the warmest, the brightest hug to Tara when she came to pick Ray and Sam from school. Ray came jumping and hopping, throwing his hoodie in the sky, and catching it, and doing the usual shenanigans. This is what he does with his excess storage of energy. The three talked about a bunch of random things on the walk back from school.

A few minutes later, Sam reminder Tara, “Mom, you forgot to ask how my chess class was.”

Tara said with shock and excitement, “Oh that’s right, Sam! How was your chess class? What did you learn today?”

“Well, I learned some chess moves. Duh. I played with the wizard and enjoyed my class,” yelled Sam in her happy excited voice.

It was a fun mid-afternoon routine for the three of them to walk back from school, often with a few of their community friends who lived in the same area. Ray would always take the side muddy trails running parallel to the walkway where the rest of the group walked. Sam joined him sometimes, but only if she could convince her walking buddy Taylor to join.

While the evening was routine, there were times when Seth and Tara were at their wits ends. Tired with their day, getting kids to and from their soccer, getting dinner ready, and trying to stay sane while at it. Dinner was ready, and no kid wanted to come to the dining table to eat. Instead, Ray and Kay decided to go outside and play soccer. Tara lost her lid and started shouting at them for taking things for granted, not valuing what they have, not respecting others’ time, you name it. Sam realized this wasn’t the time to talk to Tara about anything. She quickly ran to her room, and furiously started writing on a piece of paper. Five minutes later, she handed the paper to her mom.

Tara read it and started to cry. But they were happy tears. The letter read

“Mom, I have a great idea. How about you stop shouting at Ray for some time and let him play soccer for 10 minutes before dinner time? You can take a deep breath, relax and calm down.

Love

Sam“

That was the magic pill Tara needed that day. Sam’s pearls of wisdom.

When Sam saw Tara cry after reading the letter, she hugged her mom and said “It is ok, mom. I love you. Are you ok?”

“Now I am”, Tara told her while giving her the tightest hug on the planet.

That night, in a routine fashion, Sam asked Tara to lie down next to her in bed for a few minutes before sleeping. It was their favorite thing to do. As they both lay, talking about the day, the good, the bad, the ugly, Tara realized that Sam maybe onto something. Sam had a superpower that she couldn’t put into words. Something she used often to alleviate tension, pain, suffering from her surroundings. Ray and Kay may beg to differ, but that is a sibling story for another time. Her smile lit up any room she entered. But most importantly, in some strange way, Tara realized that Sam is the reason why she is sane, somewhat. And in her mind, Sam’s adventures were just beginning. There is so much to learn and explore about who Sam would become, how she would use her superpowers in days, months, and years to come.

That is a story, both Seth and Tara are here for.

//End of Episode 1

Anyhow. Back to normal programming.

I don’t know if, how and when I will continue with these episodes. How much of it will be real, and, how much of it will turn to a fictional tale of what could be, should be, would be. But the reason I shared it today is because, after all, it is that special day of the year – 3.21.

First observed in 2006 by Down Syndrome International, March 21 was officially declared World Down Syndrome Day by the United Nations General Assembly in 2011. Events all around the world happen on this day to raise awareness and create a single global voice for advocating for the rights, inclusion, and well-being of people with Down syndrome. The date 3.21 represents Trisomy 21, the medical term for Down syndrome, which is the third replication of the 21st chromosome.

We switched schools this year and Sammy has a new team of teachers and support team at her new school. We feel blessed for the kind of love, acceptance and support Sammy receives. When we talked about 3.21 being special for our family, we got some good ideas on how they could celebrate at school as well. We suggested kids wear fun, unique, non-matching socks to school that day.

There is an idea behind using fun socks to celebrate this day.

As part of the celebration around the world, people are encouraged to wear crazy socks. The idea was to get people talking and asking questions about Down syndrome. The idea is to wear brightly colored, mismatched, long, printed socks — or even layer three socks, one for each chromosome. But to keep it simple, we go with fun, any kind of mis-matched socks. The striped socks resemble chromosomes. It also signifies, that socks may be different in pattern or color, but can still be worn together quite happily if we change our attitude about having to wear the same matching socks. Wearing mismatched socks reminds us to celebrate the things that can make us each unique.

Sammy’s class is thrilled to be wearing fun socks today and discuss inclusion & support for Sammy. A lot of which they are already doing, and brainstorm some new ideas. Isn’t that great for fourth graders (yes, Sammy is in fourth grade now, and I CANNOT handle it!).

This video captures a lot of what occupies Siddharth and my brain. I can’t get through it without crying, but that may be because I am a crier.

As they say, onward. 

Mumma, just ignore it!

Today is 3.21. No big deal, really. But special nonetheless. 3 copies of the 21^st chromosome map to this date and make it special. So, if I can call out this co-incidence to bring attention to and awareness about down syndrome, then why not.

We don’t know what we don’t know, but what I can do is share a little bit of what we do know. One of the easiest ways for me to do this is by sharing some of my favorite memories with Samaira in the last year or so.

• Sammy running to her class singing “no one knows…how far it goes…” from Moana. Very loudly. Every. Single. Day. My heart aches when she sings the line “I wish…I could be the perfect daughter…” But, it secretly makes me proud. So, I let her be loud when she is singing this song. It is her inner voice...and she should be loud and proud. Songs come and go, but I will be sad when she will move on from this song!
• She is obsessed with water! She can spend 2 hours in a pool, followed by some time on the beach, followed by food, followed by pool again. This was what she did most days in Mexico when we were down there during Christmas break.
• I like how she enjoys her Aikido sessions with Sensei Bill. She comes home and demonstrates it for her 2.5 year old brother, Kabir, so he can get some advanced lessons. He is quite charmed with Sammy and is in complete awe of her. 
• Samaira is convinced that anytime Siddharth and I go on a date night, we are actually going for some concert. We are probably way cooler in her head than we are in reality. I am going to make no attempts to correct her notions until she figures it out on her own!
• My absolute favorite is Sammy pretend playing with her brothers as if she is an eye doctor and the other two are her patients. She pretends to pull out some glasses from a pretend frame-wall and puts it on Kabir. She then tells him to read what’s written on another pretend wall but cheats a little. She basically tells him what to say. “Kabir, say 1.” ”Now say 2.” ”Now say 3,” “Perfect, now let me try these other glasses.” This can go on for easy 30 minutes and I don’t know where time goes when I am watching her play.
• She is happiest when she sees people around her be happy. I think it is a very kid thing. Natural. Pure. Unbiased. Unadulterated. It inspires me to be happy! 
• Samaira is fearless! Most days it scares me. I wish she was a little fearful. But I also wish I could grow up to be like her! I can use monsters to scare my boys (I am definitely not awaiting any parenting awards for this tactic)! But not Sammy. She challenges me and goes behind the curtain to tell her brothers I am bluffing and there is no such thing as monsters! And I am frikkin scared of monsters!
• The other day I wanted to work with Sammy on reading, so I told her “Sammy let’s study.” Her response to me was “What does study mean?” I responded with “I mean, let’s read a book” Hmm…. We are either doing something really wrong, or really right. I can’t tell which one!
• She came home from school one day and told me “Felix snatched my hair tie”. I asked her what she did in response. She said “I ignored him. I sat on another table. And I told him I don’t like it.” Now, I don’t know if that’s what really happened, but I was quite impressed with her response nonetheless.
• This girl often is my voice of reason. I realize one of the side effects of having kids is not realizing when & how often my pitch goes from normal-talking to yelling within 5 seconds. Samaira, of course, realizes I am angry and somewhat irrational so she comes up with the best response anyone possibly can. She tells me “Mumma, just ignore it!” It works!

Happy down syndrome day, people!

Sammy figured it is about time she wears my scarf.

Sammy doing what she loves most!

October

So, the other day, we were eating dinner at home and everyone had a place to sit around the table but me. Sammy found some humor in the situation, so she teased me saying “Haaaa Haaa…you don’t have a spot to sit.” To which Rehan responded “Sammy, this isn’t a kind thing to say.” And Sammy said pointing to another chair, “Oh, sorry. Mumma, you can pull that chair and sit.”

Samaira is a funny girl. She legit has a sense of humor and she knows it. She will often do something funny or crack a joke and will have that smile when you are trying not to smile. Because in her head she shouldn’t be laughing at her own jokes, but she can’t help it, because come on 😊.

Samaira and Kabir share a very special bond. Kabir needs his own space, doesn’t like hugs and kisses. Sammy, on the other hand, is all about hugs and kisses. Kabir is the first to tell her “Sammy, no thank you!” when he disapproves. But if Sammy isn’t around, Kabir gets extremely anxious and is constantly looking for her. Sammy’s face lights up when she sees Kabir. While she doesn’t like when Kabir is constantly meddling with her lego blocks or puzzle pieces and has his own agenda, she makes sure she drags him around whenever she is playing.

Samaira wants to be a teacher when she grows up. Apparently, she loves to discipline.

These are teeny tiny anecdotes of our lives. If you are at all curious, or have questions about down syndrome and our family life, Siddharth and I will be more than glad to talk to you. We clearly don’t know it all, but we are happy to share our journey so far. If your kids have question about down syndrome, or Samaira, the best way to talk about it would be through facts. The fact that our body is made of chromosomes. Every person is born with a fixed number of chromosomes that determines the make up of their body – hair, eyes, nails, nose, height, feet, you name it. People with down syndrome have an extra copy of the 21^st chromosome. It just means that people with this extra chromosome have different traits. Sometimes they learn differently, they talk differently, or look different. And differences are ok. Our differences are what makes us unique. If there are things that make you different and unique, wear it on your sleeve. Encourage others to do the same. Be yourself. Help others be themselves. Celebrate these differences!  

THIS is LIFE!

Alright, off my soapbox now.

October is down syndrome awareness month. While raising awareness doesn’t have to be restricted to a month, this still makes it a very special month!

In fact, first Sunday of every October is Buddy Walk day in our county. We have been attending this buddy walk since 2012 with our friends and family. It is a very important day for our family. For the most part, it is a celebration of individuals with down syndrome and that makes it special. More importantly though, it is a chance for us, our friends and family to see and meet other families who have a kid who has down syndrome. This year too, our friends and their families came to support us and share this journey with us. Sammy was super thrilled because she likes that she gets her own buddy walk! Plus, all the kids get a medal at the end of this walk.

On a separate note, 2017 has been a very important year for us. Gone are the days when your kid going to college, or getting their first paycheck, or getting married, or having a kid were the only big milestones. In the 21^st century, this esteemed league of milestones is joined by your kid going to kindergarten!

Samaira started kindergarten in September and I was so nervous in all the months leading up to September. I couldn’t explain it because I am used to sending Samaira to day care and school and this wouldn’t be the first time she would leave home. But I was a wreck. I did think about all the things that could go wrong. Siddharth tried to balance it by reminding me that Sammy has done well so far, her day care and preschools have been very good and receptive, and I don’t have very much to worry about. But I wasn’t convinced. I kept telling him that we have been living in a bubble for the last 5.5 years in which our friends, family and schools have been so supportive. This isn’t how the world operates. Clearly, you can see who the glass half-full and half-empty in our relationship is!

We created Samaira’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP), something all kids with disabilities (should) have in public schools in the US. Our focus was making sure that Samaira was getting in an inclusive environment, which is what she has been in so far. I was nervous about it because it isn’t necessarily how everyone thinks today. Some believe inclusion is good, and others think that it is in a child’s best interest if they spend time in a contained, protected environment, where they can thrive and learn. One of the many challenges of the “contained” approach is that such an environment doesn’t teach a child with disability about “real life”. It also doesn’t teach typical kids about the part of the society that, for lack of a better word, isn’t “like them”. An inclusive environment is better for all. Some kids need individual attention, but the attempt should to balance individualized needs with the fact that we are all social beings and ultimately need to learn to live in a society, and learn to deal with the good and the bad of it.

Our IEP meeting was good. We talked about what we want for Sammy and worked along with the school principal and Sammy’s team to draft a plan that will help us achieve that. To be honest, my worries for Sammy aren’t around how or when she will learn to read, or be able to do 7+12, or learn her spellings. My worries were more around how her classmates will receive her and accept her, and vice versa.

A couple of days before school started, we had a chance to visit the school and meet the teachers. We met with Ms. Thompson, who is now Sammy’s class teacher. Our 5-minute conversation with her washed away any worries I had about Sammy and inclusion. Sammy’s teacher is so supportive, so positive, so amazing – that I am finding myself looking at the synonym feature of Word to sufficiently express how I feel about her. But I won’t go there. After home, school is the place where characters are built. Especially in the formative years. Kids learn from their peers more than they learn from books. A teacher sets the tone of the class, grows a mini-culture in the class, creates a garden in the class in which each kid can bloom at their own pace. We love this mini-garden that Sammy is in this year.

So, this has been a big year for us. We continue to explore and learn more. But for the most part, we are thankful for our environment and the people we are surrounded with.

In so many words, the point I am trying to make is that our bubble is getting bigger!

Celebrating 3.21

Siddharth and I are celebrating this special day by flying to New Zealand for a 2ish week vacation while Samaira, Rehan and Kabir enjoy an extended party in India with Nani (my mum), Nanu (my dad), Masi (my sister), and “P & A” (my nieces). Sammy & Rehan can’t get enough of their cousins & love spending time with them. Kabir has developed a special bond with Nani that even I can’t compete with. Here is the conversation that happened as Siddharth and I were heading to the airport to catch our flight to New Zealand.

Me: Sammy - Mumma & Daddy are going to New Zealand now and you are going to have a lot of fun with Rehan, Kabir, Nani, Nanu, Masi, ‘P’ didi & ‘A’ didi.

Samaira (whispering softly): Mumma – Maybe I can come with you to New Zealand. Is that a good idea?

Me: It is just Daddy and I who are going to New Zealand this time. How about you party with everyone at Nani’s home and go eat some ice cream now?

Samaira: Ice cream. Woohoo! I love ice cream. My favorite flavor is chocolate. But I will have vanilla, just like you. (I had told her at some point that my favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla.)

…and she ran off to find her ‘P’ didi and “A’ didi so she could drag them to eat ice cream…

---***---

Siddharth, Sammy and Rehan spent a week in Seattle without me because I flew to India with Kabir one week earlier. We co-sleep, and at night Siddharth would put Sammy and Rehan to sleep. In this one week, Rehan somehow always ended up sleeping in the middle as he likes to get sandwiched between Samaira & Siddharth. Here is what happened in this week:

Siddharth: Sammy – Can I give you a hug?

Samaira: No. I don’t want to be touched. (we have told kids to be unhesitantly vocal if they don’t feel like giving a hug to someone at any time)

Next day…

Siddharth: Sammy – Can I give you a hug now?

Samaira: No. I don’t want to be touched. (And she ran off to play with Rehan)

Next day…

Siddharth: Sammy – Can I give you a hug please?

Samaira: No, Daddy.

Siddharth: But Sammy, I want to give you a hug.

Samaira: If you want to give me a hug, then you can sleep in the middle and give me a hug! Otherwise you cannot give me a hug.

Siddharth: ??##!!??!! (Speechless)

Both of us were amazed at two things. (a) She is like me in that if she isn’t happy with something then she shuts down on that topic (I understand it is neither advisable and nor desirable). And (b), With a little bit of coaxing, she could articulate the outcome she expected in a situation. While a lot about this situation is non-ideal and it would be great if both Sammy and I articulate our issues as opposed to shut-down, we were excited to see Samaira transfer her emotions into words.

---***---

Samaira tends to avoid doing anything that is hard for her to do. Her strategy is to get other people to do it for her. For example: If her hand does not reach a switch and she wants to turn on the light, she asks Rehan to get a chair so he can climb on it and turn on the light. If Sammy refuses to do something because it is hard, often this is the conversation that happens:

Rehan: You can do this, Sammy. You are very strong!

Samaira: (Whining) Noooooo. I can’t.

Rehan: You can, Sammy. Let me show you how (Followed by a demonstration). Now, you try Sammy.

Samaira: Noooo. Stop it.

While Samaira needs time to warm up to new challenges, it is heartwarming to see Rehan encourage Samaira to explore her abilities.

---***---

I am convinced that half of Sammy’s heart lives in Kabir. She is always baby’ing him. Not something Kabir is a fan of though. But he has got to deal with the all the extra care and affection that Sammy showers on him. Also, Samaira is convinced that she takes better care of Kabir than we do, and he is her responsibility.

She will often check his diaper to make sure he hasn’t done pee-pee or poo-poo. If she suspects anything, she comes to us and tells us, “Can you please change Kabir’s diaper? He has done poo-poo.”

She is also the first to point out “Kabir is crying. Can you please give him some milk?”

 ---***---

If you are curious about what everyday life with T21 as an integral part of our family looks like, this is what I’ve got for you. This is our Sammy at 5.

The next challenge we are bracing for is around inclusion. Meaningful inclusion.

Sammy wouldn’t be top of mind if you are looking for a kid who is good at following instructions or protocol. She is a rebel. Anti-establishment of sorts. If we tell her not to do something, then we can say with a fair bit of certainty that she will do it. If kids want to play a game that flows a certain way, then she will be sure to not follow it. It worries me because I don’t know what’s in store for her as she enters kindergarten later this year. I don’t know how many instructors will accept Samaira as she is and accommodate her needs, versus prefer sending her to another environment where her needs could be more conveniently met.

I don’t know how many of her classmates will accept her even though she will not play Hide & Seek, Whisper Challenge, or Snake & Ladder per the rules of the game. How many of her friends will still include her?

One aspect of inclusion is ‘awareness’. Knowing that there are differences and understanding what they are. Another aspect of inclusion is ‘acceptance’. Knowing that there are differences and it is ok! It really is ok.

So, as Sammy will begin her Big 5 transition to kindergarten this Fall, I am more insecure than ever. Siddharth does not share my insecurity. He has more faith in the system, people, us, and above all – Sammy. I am insecure because we will truly be stepping out of our little bubble in which everyone sees Sammy for who she is, and not for what she has or what she can do. I can only hope that the new wave of people in her life will encourage her, include her and accept her.

Something I have heard since Samaira was born was that we shouldn’t overthink putting Samaira in schools that are highly ranked. It is probably better for her to be in schools that are average in rank, because she will have a sense of accomplishment in the things she can do as the environment will not be super competitive. To be honest, it isn’t something we have internalized, yet. So far, our circle of family, close friends (more like family), schools, day cares, teachers – have all celebrated Samaira. Included Samaira. Accepted Samaira. This encourages her to do more and be more.

At the same time, I also realize that 5 year olds are like little adults. They are intelligent. They are sharp. They understand the differences in skin color, language, and abilities. And while they are innocent and naïve, without appropriate guidance from grown-ups, they may not always know how to treat these differences. Some kids will not let these differences come in the way of their friendship. They might even provide encouragement & help as needed. But there could be kids who don’t know how to process and deal with these differences. Their reactions may range from confusion, to mockery, to non-inclusion. While I wouldn’t blame kids for their behavior, it for sure will hurt when it happens. And that’s when I hope, we the adults can play a role in creating awareness and acceptance about differences and disabilities.

In the first 5 years of our journey with Samaira, we haven’t felt the need to have the “talk” with other kids and parents. We have gone with the flow and let everyone discover who Sammy is and everything she can do. I am not sure we can continue to go with the flow much longer. I think we will need to have deliberate conversations and engagements that make the upcoming generation more sensitive and accepting of disabilities.

Down syndrome does not define Samaira. It is an integral part of her. But there is a lot more to her than down syndrome. Her abilities surpass any label that could be associated with her. So, this year, on 3/21, I want to talk about being inclusive. In schools. In activities. In play. In society. It wouldn’t benefit just Samaira, but also folks who are being inclusive. It makes society more open and tolerant to differences. Something we could all use a little extra dose of given everything that’s happening in the world.

Imagine this society: Different skin color, different language, different religion, different god, different faith, any disability, different clothing, different values….no problem. Let kindness and friendship prevail. Everyone is welcome! This is the essence of being human.

If you are curious about down syndrome, I encourage questions, conversations, and discussions. We will be happy to share our experiences and whatever we know so far. We will do our best to find out what we don’t know to answer your questions. Talking and asking questions is the first step to building awareness and acceptance.

Happy 3.21, folks!

PS: 3.21 = March 21^st = World Down Syndrome Day. Medically, down syndrome is defined by 3 copies of the 21^st chromosome. That’s all there is to it. An extra copy of a chromosome. It only means there is more of Sammy to love! Lucky us!

I don’t know your story

Almost 13 years back I was coaxed into attending a 2-3 day Art of Living course by my roommate, who was (and probably still is) an ardent follower. I was reluctant because at a time when I was still a student, earning negligible and had a lot of student debt to pay, I didn’t want to shell out close to $200 for a workshop I didn’t care much about. But I couldn’t figure out a way to say no. So I said yes. I attended the course and was surprised to see the wide demographics of attendees. There were men and women all the way from their early twenties to late fifties. There were students, working professionals and home makers. 13 years later, there is only one thing I remember from that entire session. It was an activity that we did in which everybody sat face to face with another person for, I think, a minute and then switched partners. We essentially got to sit opposite most of the people in the group. While sitting opposite each other, all we had to do was hold hands and look into the other person’s eyes. Yes. That was the exercise. I am giggling like a teenager as I am typing this. And I had a similar reaction back then as well. Well, this is an awkward exercise. Once we got over the initial awkwardness, something magical happened. There was this guy in the group and I had totally judged him the minute I saw him, for no particular reason. When I got a chance to sit opposite him and hold his hands and look into his eyes, I realized that all my judgement washed away. Looking into people’s eyes is powerful. It is probably the most honest part of our body. Our eyes tell our story. And more often than not, we don't pause to look into people’s eyes and take a moment to see them. Really see them. I think I have told this story before. But it is by far one of the most important experiences of my life. Because it taught me to try to understand people before judging them. 

The most powerful way, I have learned, of not judging people is to know their story. Everyone has a story. It is so easy to look at everything and everyone with one single lens and assume them to be good or bad. Until, of course, we know their story. Stories help us understand why people behave a certain way, or eat certain things, or spend on a certain item, or read a certain book, or play a certain sport, or wear certain outfits. 

Our story conveys the reason why we do what we do. Our story conveys how we got to this point. It makes us, even if for an instant, think about somebody else’s point of view. It makes our heart bigger. It makes our actions kinder. It makes our mind broader. It makes us love more. You will find out there is always more to people than meets the eye. You will understand people even when you don't agree with them. You will pass fewer judgements on people once you know their angle, their story. Especially when they are people who don't look, or eat, or dress, or think, or act like you. It will make us a better human.

Stories are important, people. Let us make time to find out someone’s story.