You're Not Alone

13:45

13:45

You're Not Alone

by MaryRania Zatout

Type

guided

Activity

Meditation

Suitable for

Everyone

Plays

3

This is a story about the invisible threads that connect us all, strangers, family, even those we pass by without a word. It begins as a walk through an ordinary day, but slowly reveals how small acts of presence ripple into lives we never expect to touch. Between fear, kindness, and full-circle coincidences, this piece reminds us that we are never truly alone, even when we think we are.

Connection Empathy Fear Family Community Overcoming Fear Family Support

Meet your Teacher

MaryRania Zatout

Oran, Algeria

Meet your Teacher

MaryRania Zatout

Oran, Algeria

Transcript

You're not alone, That's a thought that I had just a few minutes ago and I wanted to share it with you because you're not alone and here's why. It's actually, Listen, You're not alone, I'm not alone, I'm walking outside, It's a really hot day, Although it's winter. There's this old man that walks past me and for some reason we're both paused at like an intersection, Like in a split of a second, Like the world around us is paused. So what do I do in this split of a second that might make this old man feel like he's not alone? I smile, I smile this stranger, I smile and everything is moving again. I don't even know if he smiled back or he reacted or even noticed. I keep on walking and I see this old lady struggling to keep her dog under control. I walk past her and she looks like she's struggling and thinking no one cares about helping her. Do I jump right in and like do this to the dog or, I don't know, I don't have a dog, How would I know? I say, Good morning auntie, You look beautiful today and I keep on walking. She doesn't even look back but guess who did? Me! I look back out of curiosity and suddenly she has full control over the dog and she looks prouder. Is that the word? Hmm, Never mind, I'm still walking. Do you want to know where I am headed to? Do you know where I'm, Do you know, Wait, Do you want to know where I'm going? I'll tell you, I'll tell you. A kid crossing the road almost got hit by a car. The driver got out of his car and he's yelling at the poor little kid who's clearly uneducated enough about the safety of the road. And how's your mom? Hopefully his mom is still alive. How's your mom? Oh my god, I'm so glad I met you because I need to get her the thing she asked me about. Like, Here, Come with me, Let's cross the road, It's in my bag. And I wave an apology like in a split a second to the man driving and like, I'm sorry kid. What's your name? Jacob. Oh, Okay Jacob, Be careful, All right? And I keep on moving, The driver is already like there, Over there. All right, The kid is like jumping as he's walking. Okay, He looks happy. Well, He was terrified just a minute ago. Hey, We're not superheroes, I'm not a superhero, I'm just not alone. And that's what I'm doing, Making sure those who are around me feel it. Because if you say you're not alone, That person would stare at you like, Yeah, Hmm, Thanks, I didn't know. It's in actions, It's in actions. And well, I'm going to the doctor because I need to get my eyes checked. I go there and he says I need to operate on my eyes, Laser surgery, How fun. I've never done that before. And now I'm scared. I am walking back home, The world is blurry around me, It's like fog. And like I said, It's so hot outside, I'm scared, I can't see anything around me, I'm just in my thoughts, In a loop of fear. I hear like, Around me, From cars, To people. I make it home safely in one piece, So I'm good. I don't like to make people worry about me, So I smile. Hi! All right, Nobody's home, Okay, Let me go to my room and cry. Yeah, Cry. I cry and I cry and I cry and I forget myself. Suddenly there's my sister standing on my door. She was in the bathroom, She heard me cry. I thought I was home alone. She sits and she doesn't say a word. She just looks at me and she checks my phone, Who's opened on a window of me asking, Like, Am I going to be blind? She looks at me and she says, Did the doctor say that you will be blind? And then she stays quiet and she just looks at me. No reaction. And I'm like, No. Did the doctor say that this is a safe surgery? Mm-hmm. The rate of success? I'm pretty much high. Then why didn't you look for those who had, Like, A successful surgery instead of actually asking a question? That is the total opposite of what the doctor said. I swallow hard. I'm like, I'm overdramatic. She's not laughing, By the way. Silence. Then I explode on crying even more, But this time it's not because I'm scared, It's because. . . Why am I crying even harder now? I don't know, You tell me. Why? Why do you think I'm crying harder now? Does anybody know? We hug each other and then she slaps me jokingly on my head and she's like, Are there any snacks? I'm hungry. And I forgot because I promised her to get her snacks on my way back from the doctor. Let's go together. All right. I promised her that I would get her anything she wants. She's like, Anything? I'm like, Anything. All right. She gets dressed up. I'm still in my outfit. I'm still, Like, Dressed up. So we go out. I feel a little better. Not fully better, But a little better. No. No. The neighborhood store is closed. It's not even time yet. All right. Let's just. . . Oh, My God. Let's go. All right. I know another store. It's a few minutes away from here. Let's go. We're not talking, Like, We're just. . . I'm looking around me and I can hear people, Vehicles, Birds, The trees. Sun is burning. I'm sweating. Hey, We should get water, Too, Okay? Remind me. Cool. Okay. We walk in and then we are at the store. What? The owner of this store is. . . Oh, The old man. I hear a dog. Is that his wife? A child is playing with a, Like, A tiny ball with a dog. Are you guys family? Did I. . . Did I? Did I? A family? Is that a divorce paper on the table? He looks at me. She looks at me. The child looks at me. Even the dog is looking at me. My sister looks at me. I think we are here at the wrong time, So sorry to disturb. I don't even finish my sentence. It is like, You just saved our marriage today. Oh, That's the girl. Life has its own funny ways of connecting people together. You just saved our 50 years of marriage. Her accent is a bit heavy. I haven't heard it earlier. The child is an orphan. That's what I expected, Wasn't it? Oh, I could have used a, Like, I'm your friend, Your cousin. Oh, My. Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm so, Like, Lost right now. Maria pushes me from the back and she's like, My snacks. She's dead serious. And I'm like, Oh, Yeah, The snack. Here, Like, Pick anything you want. She does. Then picks the water, Shakes it on my face like, I didn't forget like you did. All right. I'm about to pay and they refuse. They don't want me to pay. I guess I already paid the whole day. What a circle. A full circle. The day ended on a good note. I'm not alone. They're not alone. We're not alone. My sister is jumping. As we're walking back home, She had her favorite snack. Where the one that we thought we would never find ever again. Well, You're not alone.