Anu wiped her forehead as she stirred the pot of dal on the stove. Her hands ached from a long day at the office, and the unpaid bills sat accusingly on the kitchen table. She had been managing everything—work, home, kids—since her husband’s sudden death two years ago, but today felt particularly overwhelming.
Her daughters Riya and Rani, sat in the living room, glued to their phones. They hadn’t helped her with dinner, nor had they done their homework yet. She called out, “Riya, Rani, can you please come help set the table?”
There was no response. She raised her voice, frustration boiling over. “I’m talking to you two! Come here and help, now!”
Riya rolled her eyes and walked to the kitchen. “We were busy, Mom. Why are you always so angry?” she muttered under her breath.
“Busy doing what? Scrolling Instagram? You think I’m not busy? I work all day, come home, cook, clean, and you don’t even bother to lift a finger!” Anu’s voice trembled with pent-up frustration. She could feel her temper slipping, her irritation turning into full-blown anger.
“You’re always blaming us!” Rani shouted, joining the argument. “You act like everything’s our fault. Maybe if you weren’t so stressed all the time, things would be better.”
The words hit Anu like a slap. She stood there, staring at them in disbelief, her anger simmering, mixing with hurt. “Do you even understand what I’m going through? I’m doing this alone—everything! You don’t care at all.”
Riya sighed dramatically, “You just keep making everything about yourself.”
That night, after dinner, Anu sat on her bed, tears slipping down her face. “Why do they not understand? Why is everything so hard?” she thought. Her head throbbed, and the argument echoed in her mind. She felt trapped, like no matter what she did, she couldn’t control her own life. And what hurt the most was the realization that she had been letting this anger rule her, snapping at her kids, coworkers, everyone.
The next morning, her boss scolded her for a minor mistake at work, and Anu felt her temper flare again. But something stopped her from reacting. She thought back to the argument with her children. “What’s happening to me?” she wondered. She realized that the irritation from last night had carried over, and now, it was affecting everything—her work, her relationship with her kids, her peace.
After another exhausting day at work, Anu decided to visit the nearby temple for some peace. It had been a while since she’d done anything for herself. The temple was quiet, with a few people sitting in silent prayer. Anu sat down on the cool stone floor, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
As she sat there, something shifted within her. She thought about the things that had been eating away at her—her boss, her children, the feeling of being unappreciated. For the first time in months, she asked herself a simple question: “Why am I letting their actions decide how I feel?”
As she sat there, the calmness of the space seeped into her. She reflected on how much she had been trying to control—her boss, her children’s behaviour, every situation. And yet, she had no control over any of it. She could only control one thing—her reaction. If she let her anger fester, it would consume her life.
As Anu sat in silence, a sense of clarity washed over her. Suddenly, she realized something powerful. She had been letting her anger, rooted in her frustrations, dictate her peace of mind. It wasn’t her children or her boss who had the power to destroy her calm. It was her own response.
She couldn’t control her boss’s behaviour or make her children appreciate her more. But she could control how much of her peace she gave away to these outside situations. The thought calmed her. She didn’t need validation from others to feel good about herself. What she did every day—managing the house, working long hours—was enough. She was enough.
As she walked back home, she felt lighter, as though a weight had been lifted off her.
When she walked in, her kids were sitting at the dinner table, and Riya looked up, hesitating before speaking, “Mom… about yesterday… I’m sorry.”
Anu smiled. “It’s okay. I think I needed to hear it. We’ll figure it out together.”
For the first time in months, she felt a sense of relief,
not because her circumstances had changed, but because she had. By accepting
what she couldn’t control and focusing on what she could—her own peace—Anu took
the first step toward reclaiming her happiness.