THE SHY, CRESCENT MOON

 



“Sweet sixteen today.

She’s looking like her mamma a little more every day.”

Bob Carlisle

 

I love to watch young kids - especially those sweet-sixteens - when they carry themselves in their special clothes, with grace, elegance and confidence. I don’t think, everyone can do that.  I may be  wrong when I say this, though…

I can say about my own discomfort when I was a teenager. I felt desperately shy whenever I tried something new. A simple change, like tucking my shirt in… I remember feeling so awkward whenever I attempted that. Inside the house, I would try for hours doing my dress-rehearsal before the mirror; but, the moment I stepped outside my house, my shirt would come out, too!

Trying a new style was a nightmare for me… “Everyone is watching me”… “Everyone is judging me”… “I don’t look good”… Yes, as a teenager, I have battled with these poor self-esteem issues… the ghosts of self-doubts.

Today, when I will be 67 this year, trying a new attire still isn’t easy for me. Yes, I may not be as uncomfortable as I used to be in my teens; but, the traces of shyness and embarrassment haven’t disappeared fully.

So, when a young boy or a girl, a sweet sixteen, wears something special for the first time  - like, a girl trying a saree  or a boy in a tie or a blazer – on their traditional days or farewell parties – I watch them in excitement… They take me back to my own school farewells or traditional days… I remember, how I used to skip them, with no courage to show up in something ‘different’…

I know, it sounds silly to many; but, I see hundreds of teenagers around me today, just the way I was once – shy, desperate, embarrassed, and low in self-confidence…





Lucky are those sweet-sixteens, who feel thrilled and proud to present themselves in their special attires – a boy in a blazer, a girl in a saree, yes, for the first time. When I see them carrying themselves with grace, elegance and confidence, I really feel happy…

Out there, there are countless teenagers in their special outfits, who are desperately  wanting to be in the shadows. On the other side, there are countless teenagers, who are dying to be beheld and admired by the world out there…

Last week, when this sweet-sixteen came to show herself to me in a saree (on her school farewell-day), I could feel her excitement… She had specially come to show me her saree-look…

I was so happy to see this sparkling full-moon, while remembering the shy crescent-moon that I was, some fifty years ago…





“My feelings are too loud for words and too shy for the world”… This is how Dejan Stojanvic describes the plight of every shy, crescent- moon…

You see, in the garden of Life, a touch-me-not has its own glory, just as a Morning Glory does…



Smile… and cry in joy...

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic’s: findmykids.org  2. www;psychedconult.com 3. Kotian

Video: Anthony Miyazaki


Comments

Anonymous said…
Beautiful sir 😍☺️
February 8, 2025 at 10:47 PM
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