Thus spake: the Broken Walls
- The Storyteller Mumbai
- 20 hours ago
- 4 min read
Thus spake: The Broken Walls
#rebuilding #resilience #adversity #storms #life #trauma #illness #recovery #healing #therapeutic #storyhealing #courage
In South India, there is a very special place called Tambli.
Tambli was made of big stones, small stones, tall pillars, fountains, and quiet paths. It had forts and temples and gardens where people would come and enjoy with their children and their families. It had laughter and music with the birds and gorgeous peacocks dancing around. The sun shone ever so brightly making everyone feel vibrant and joyous.
Tambli felt strong and proud of itself. For many years the city was known to attract tourists from all over the world. People would click pictures and send it to their friends and street vendors would serve tasty Indian food to the crowds.
But one day, a very big storm came and suddenly in a few hours , everything changed.
Stones broke
Pillars cracked
Buildings were no longer the way they used to be
Walls crumbled down
The earth kicked up dust that made all the tourists shut their eyes.
The sunlight also disappeared behind a large cloud of gloom.
Then it all fell silent. The people disappeared. The birds and the peacocks vanished. The music stopped. The town became still.
Tambli felt sad and confused.
“Will anyone love me now?” Tambli wondered.
“Will I be okay again?” , the garden echoed.
Days passed.
Then weeks.
Then many seasons.
Slowly, the sun peeked from behind the clouds, gingerly. “I am here for you”, the Sun said. “I was always there but I was hidden. But now I can again shine my light upon you”
Thus the sun kept shining on the stones. Tambli smiled, finally after many seasons. It felt as if life was returning back into the city, and the sun was a sign of hope and promise.
Then came rain, first just as a drizzle, unsure. "I am here for you Tambli”, Rain said. “I was always there but I was inside the cloud of gloom. But now I have emerged and I shall rain down upon you”.
Then it poured down and the rain washed the town clean. Tambli shivered a little, all wet with the rain. But it felt good to be alive and feel the wetness of the rain on dry barren ground.
A tiny seed buried under the ground developed roots and a shoot was visible. Struggling yet strong. “I am a baby shoot. I was always there, but now I am strong enough to grow”, the Shoot said.
Thus, in this way many more plants grew. Some in the garden soil and some between the cracks of the walls and the stones.
Tambli looked around with joy bursting from the crevices of its heart, which essentially meant the crevices in the wall. Slowly the wall was transformed from something rigid to something alive and beaming with life.
Birds came and sat on the broken pillars and sang their songs. The peacock said, “I am here for you Tambli. I have enjoyed living here , but I had to go away because of the storm. But I have returned as you are ready to receive me again”. Saying this the entire family of peacocks and peahen came with their little peachicks.
The children returned. The music and laughter again filled the corners of the gardens and crevices. The temple bells started to ring again.
Tambli began to notice something. A shift within from darkness towards light and laughter. A glimmer of hope and renewal.
Even though it was broken, it could be restructured
Even though it had fallen, it was still capable to standing up again
Even though it had changed, it was still loved and accepted.
Then one day another storm came. Tambli shivered a little and felt scared. “Will I break again?” Tambli felt like it was going back into the hole of darkness where it had spent many days and nights.
But this time, Tambli shook a little but the walls did not fall. It stood and braved the storm. It was not easy, but something within Tambli had shifted, a sea of renewal.
Soon, the storm passed and the streets of Tambli again bustled with people and birds and animals.
The broken stones smiled and had a brave thought.
“We don’t have to be the way we were before,” they said.
“We can be good just the way we are now.
Stronger than ever, our cracks don’t define us
They tell us what we endured and so we fill the cracks
With gold- like sunlight!”
Tambli : the great town- was not broken.
Tambli was brave, and was able to stand on its own again.
The stones held stories.
The stones held memories.
The stones held strength.
The stones spoke of growth and regeneration.
People came from all over the world to see Tambli. —not because it was perfect, but because it was real and strong and beautiful in its own way. It had endured. It had rebuilt its inner strength.
Xoxo
TherapeuticStories_Shukrita
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