By : Aliaa Fathy
One day, she was told, “No one is like you.”And it was not the first time.She heard those words again and again, until they became something she often heard:“What a wonderful person you are… What a loyal friend you are… What a kind and pure heart you have… How beautiful your sensitivity is… And how remarkable your grace and character are.”She would smile whenever she heard them, and then carry on.
But no one ever asked her:“What about you?”Along her journey, she found only a rare few who were truly loyal and sincere, and she found little appreciation, despite always giving others more than they ever asked of her.
She lived to spread happiness around her, forgetting to save a little of it for herself.She drew her joy from the happiness of others, her comfort from their comfort, and her peace from their peace of mind.
When someone was sad, she was the first to come closer. When someone was broken, she was the first to gather their scattered pieces. When someone needed a heart willing to listen, she was there.
But when she was the one who needed someone… she found no one but herself.She suffered in silence, cried away from prying eyes, then wiped away her tears, composed her features, and stepped out before everyone with her usual smile, as though nothing had happened.She became so skilled at hiding her sadness that she nearly forgot what her face looked like when she was truly happy.
And the years passed…She kept giving, forgiving, and enduring, until she herself became lost in the chaos of life.One quiet night, she sat alone in front of the mirror.She stared at her reflection for a long time, as though seeing it for the first time.Then she said, “When will I live for myself?”No one answered her.She closed her eyes and wished she could start all over again.
To learn to say “no” when others hurt her. To stop apologizing for things she had never done wrong. To love without losing herself. To give without exhausting her heart. To leave a small space in her life for herself, for her dreams, for her peace, and for the woman she had neglected for so long.
Then she fell asleep… and dreamed.She saw herself years later, walking lightly, laughing from the heart, and doing all the things she had always postponed.She saw herself saying “no” without fear, walking away when she needed to, choosing those who deserved her heart, and no longer running after those who had chosen to leave.She saw herself happy…Not because everyone around her was happy, but because she had finally learned how to make herself happy, too.A woman who looked very much like her approached her in the dream and said:“Finally… you have found your way back to yourself.”She reached out her hand toward her…And suddenly, she woke up.
She opened her eyes.Morning had begun to slip through the window, and everything was as it had been.The same room… The same mirror… The same life.She sat on the edge of the bed and remained there for a few moments, recalling the details of the dream.Then she smiled.
This time, what she had seen was not merely a dream.It was something that felt like a message.She rose, stood before the mirror, and looked at herself for a long time.Then she said quietly:“Perhaps I cannot change my entire life today… but I can begin.”And from that morning on… she did not become another person.She simply began to learn how to be herself.And that was the first time she did not dream of a new life, but began to create it.
