The thing about returning home is that everyone looks at you with unmistakable admiration. After all, you are one of the few who made it and moved abroad. In my case, it is undeserved, I simply moved with my much talented and successful husband.

Life across the oceans is certainly better in so many ways - lesser crime, smoother roads, better stocked shelves in the shops, education and healthcare. The new landscape has much to offer, each weather change is an adventure, and each sunset is new.

And back home?

I befriended a toddler who did not mind sharing her plan for the day with me, a total stranger, while her mother enjoyed our exchange. I lost the security tags for my bags in the shopping mall and a smile was enough for the security guard to hand me the bags. I joked with the sales assistants and each one of them got my jokes. The guy at the food stall needed a single word to understand how I wanted my plate. In case you are wondering, the pav bhaji was perfect just the way I like it - slightly spicy, a little sweet, a little garnish of onion slices and a wedge of lemon on the side. The roads were congested, but I knew where exactly I could hail a cab. I was not an outsider looking in, but a part of the crowd. I jumped into conversations with unacquainted people to offer my two cents. Smiles were returned with bigger smiles.
So the next time you meet a person who made it and living life king size, throw in a little kindness with your admiration for they are missing what you have.