The Stories Behind the Smiles: What a Stranger Taught Me About Life

July 4^, 2026: This morning, I woke up to a sky that seemed to have opened itself up sometime during the night.  The rain was relentless.

For many, it would have been reason enough to stay indoors. For me, a runner who also happens to love the rain, it was every reason to step outside.

Some of life’s most meaningful conversations are never planned. I had left my phone behind. After finishing my run, I noticed a gentleman nearby with a phone in his hand. I requested him to click a picture. He smiled and readily obliged.

Then we simply began talking. Both of us were enjoying the rain. Within minutes, he did something many of us struggle to do. He opened up to a complete stranger. He told me he had lost his only daughter, a doctor, to a brain haemorrhage. The loss was devastating. His wife slipped into severe mental instability and memory loss. There was a time she didn’t even recognise him.

Today, after months of care, he says with quiet pride that she recognises him again. He himself was once a full marathon runner. He spoke about having put on some weight and said he was slowly trying to get back to running.

Listening to him, I could only imagine what the loss of a child must mean to a parent. Before we parted, I gave him a hug. I silently prayed for him and his wife. He probably doesn’t know it.  His courage to speak ensured there is now one more person in the world praying for him.

Years ago, I had written an article for Speaking Tree on the healing power of conversations. This morning reminded me why conversations matter.

Sometimes we don’t need solutions. Sometimes we simply need someone willing to listen. It also reminded me of something else. We rarely know the battles people are fighting.

Some carry grief quietly. Some find relief in conversations. Others express it through irritation, anger, impatience or withdrawal. Often, these are nothing more than the pressure valve of a mind carrying more than it can hold.  Unfortunately, the person at the receiving end may also be carrying invisible burdens of their own. That is how pain multiplies.

While reading Oru Sankeerthanam Pole (Malayalam) Perumbadavam Sreedharan’s remarkable exploration of the life and inner world of Fyodor Dostoevsky, one passage lingered long after I had put the book down.

“Anna felt that those who were judged to have strayed from the right path were often people whose hearts, though scorched by sorrow, retained an innocence and purity that others had never cared to see.”

What a profound observation. How often do we judge people’s actions without ever pausing to understand the grief that may have shaped them?

Perumbadavam doesn’t merely narrate Dostoevsky’s life; he enters his mind and soul. It is one of the finest literary journeys I have experienced in recent years. I sometimes wonder if Dostoevsky himself, had he been alive, would have been deeply moved to see someone discover and portray his inner world with such empathy.

Elsewhere in the book comes another thought that has also stayed with me: “If you have purpose and greatness within you, one day the world will come searching for you.”

Life has a remarkable way of humbling us. Many years ago, I walked into a bank seeking a personal loan worth just a few thousand rupees. I was going through one of the most financially difficult phases of my life.

The loan was declined. Today, the very same bank repeatedly sends me messages offering pre-approved loans.

Life changes. Fortunes change. Health changes. Relationships change. No state is permanent.

I have seen people who once lived extravagantly become financially broken. I have seen perfectly healthy people discover a medical condition during a routine health check-up and watch life change overnight.

That is why, after crossing fifty, I stopped chasing certainty. Instead, I began collecting reminders.

Not theories. Not motivational quotes. Simply reminders that life has taught me.

 1. Find joy in your work. Whether you are employed, self-employed or running a business, remain curious. Think differently. Solve problems creatively. Keep having meaningful conversations with colleagues, seniors and juniors.

2. Read. Even if you are not a habitual reader, begin with one book every three months. Reading sharpens our thinking and expands our understanding of people, life and ourselves.

3. Reduce confrontation, not expression. Speak honestly, but invite others to assume the best in you, as you should assume the best in them. Listening becomes easier when trust replaces suspicion.

4. Move every day. Walk. Run. Cycle. Build strength and stability. Find a community, or simply let music become your companion.

5. Respect your body. Cut down on alcohol. Reduce salt. Minimise refined sugar. Small habits compound over decades.

6. Protect yourself and the family. Ensure you and your loved ones have adequate health insurance. It often feels unnecessary until the day it becomes indispensable.

7. Get an annual health check-up. Don’t fear discovering a problem. Fear discovering it too late. Modern medicine can do extraordinary things when issues are detected early.

8. Work towards becoming debt-free. Financial freedom is not merely about wealth. It is about peace of mind.

9. Let your money work for you. Cultivate the discipline of investing. Over time, your money should sweat harder than you do.

10. Practise kindness and gratitude. Help those who genuinely need help, within your means. And don’t remember God only in difficult times. Gratitude in abundance is easy. Faith during adversity shapes character.

I don’t know whether these are lessons. They are simply observations gathered from rain-soaked runs, mountain trails, books, failures, conversations, financial struggles, moments of success, and countless encounters with ordinary people living extraordinary lives.

 This morning’s run lasted less than an hour. The conversation lasted only a few minutes. But it reminded me of something I hope I never forget.

We meet people for a few minutes. We know them for even less. But we judge them for a lifetime. The world needs fewer judgments and more conversations. Every person we meet is carrying a story we cannot see.

If we pause long enough to listen, we won’t just lighten someone else’s burden. We may quietly transform ourselves in the process.

(Author is Yesudas Pillai, Entrepreneur, Marathoner, Mountain Climber, Traveller, Writer, Speaker and a curious observer)

Published on: Wednesday, July 08, 2026, 11:05 AM IST