More Than Meets The Eye

One day I saw a boy hiding behind a wall next to the staircase at school. Thinking he was one of those boys playing hide-and-seek, I watched him. But he was not playing. He was hanging onto the wall, and peering down the staircase, taking a step forward, then stepping back. He looked positively funny doing that three times in a row.. and my friends and I couldn't help but laugh.
As we passed by him, my friend asked the boys friend, "Who's he hiding from?', expecting the name of some teacher in return. What the boy's friend said next humbled us all.."He's not hiding. He's afraid of staircases"
We watched from a respectable distance as the boy finally took the courage to let go of the wall and creep down the staircase, hanging on to the railing for dear life. He reached a landing, and sighed in relief.
I can only imagine the pain and trauma he goes through everyday as he needs to navigate staircases from morning till evening. And I can only appreciate the magnitude of his courage to keep coming back to school everyday, and battling his fear out moment by moment.
We all go through life everyday. For some, it is harder than others. Take time to look around and know what is happening to whom around you. You might actually be the lucky one, just blind. There is always more to anything that meets the eye.
Counting my steps,
--Brindha