THE YAWN EFFECT

Some days, it’s not just about waking up on the wrong side of the bed—your entire existence feels wrong. Today was one of those days.

Woke up late. Rushed through my morning routine at lightning speed. Tap, tap, tap—within minutes, I went from my bed to the road, my hurried footsteps echoing As the metro doors slid open, it felt like an entryway into yet another battle for survival. Now, don’t get me wrong—I’m usually a very positive person (except for my blood group, which is negative). But there are days when you wear the worst clothes, your hair resembles a bird’s abandoned nest, and your face screams tiredness. Today was that day.

Boarding a metro in peak hours is tougher than entering your crush’s heart.The metro was overflowing, spilling people out like I spill my emotions in this blog. But having mastered the art of city survival, I managed to squeeze in.Now, picture me as a freshly baked, untoasted slice of bread that had just entered the metro. Within seconds, I was being pressed from all sides, turning into a grilled sandwich. Just as I was processing my existence in sandwich form, someone shoved me—HARD.

. My brain instantly hit the ‘angry notification’ mode. TING! I didn’t fall (there wasn’t even space for that), but I turned around, furious, ready to fight. The lady who pushed me was just as angry, and before I knew it, we were in a full-blown argument. Words were exchanged; tempers flared and in the middle of this heated battle of personal space and public transport survival… I yawned.

The best part? The woman I was fighting with saw me yawning, and, by the laws of nature, yawned back. And just like that, I paused.It hit me hard. Our actions are like yawns. What you give, you receive.

What if kindness worked the same way? What if, instead of anger, we passed on patience? Instead of irritation, a little understanding? What if we weren’t so caught up in the chaos that we actually let kindness pass through? At that moment, my station arrived. I could have just walked away. But instead, I turned, smiled, and said, “Sorry.” She smiled back.

Maybe kindness does have a yawning effect—we just need to notice it more. And in the midst of all this, I wish love was as simple as yawning—you give love, and it comes right back to you.