As she sat in her small, cozy room, surrounded by the acquainted comforts of her each day life, the younger Asian Muslim girl could not assist however really feel a way of contentment wash over her. Her eyes sparkled with a heat, light smile as she gazed down on the smartphone in her fingers, the intense inexperienced shade of the display screen a stark distinction to the delicate, muted tones of her tweed blazer and black hijab. The white background behind her appeared to glow with an otherworldly gentle, as if it too was basking within the radiance of her happiness.
For a second, she merely sat there, misplaced within the glow of her cellphone’s display screen, her fingers absently scrolling by way of the limitless stream of messages, emails, and social media updates that appeared to stream into her life like a endless river. However as she appeared up, her eyes met the digital camera’s lens, and for a fleeting immediate, she appeared to neglect in regards to the world outdoors her room, the troubles and cares that weighed her down, and easily be.
In that second, she was free. Free to be herself, to specific herself, to really feel the enjoyment and happiness that she so usually struggled to search out in a world that gave the impression to be always pulling her in numerous instructions. Her hijab, a logo of her religion and her id, appeared to shine with a newfound radiance, as if it too was basking within the heat of her happiness.
As she sat there, a way of peace settled over her, a way of calm that appeared to seep into her very bones. It was as if she had lastly discovered a way of stability, a way of equilibrium that allowed her to be herself, with out apology or pretension. And in that second, she knew that she was precisely the place she was meant to be.
The digital camera captured this second, this fleeting immediate of pure pleasure and happiness, and froze it in time, a snapshot of a younger girl who was unapologetically herself, in all her magnificence and complexity. And as we have a look at this picture, we’re reminded that happiness is a alternative, a alternative that we will make day by day, in each second, if we solely take the time to search for it.