I have been wanting to document various incidents that have left a lasting impact on me, shaping the way I navigate my daily life. While I may not capture every individual here, the focus of this post lies more on the incidents themselves, expressing my gratitude for the lessons they imparted. It goes in a chronological order.
One evening after school, I found myself holding a partly broken compact disk(CD), clueless about its fate, as I sat staring at my PC. Jagan(cousin), who is more like a brother, approached me and said: "It's all about finding solutions to the things that bother you every day. Why don't you now go and figure out a solution instead of staring at the PC?". Perhaps, since then I wouldn't need to actively seek a source of inspiration; Instead, I could lean into natural inclination towards problem-solving and allow my interests to guide me. Thanks to him, this advice has stuck with me ever since and has significantly influenced the way I approach life till now.
When I first moved to Bangalore, I was quite naive, particularly in how I handled the instances of wrongdoing. I vividly recall a conversation I had with Pavi(sis-in-law). She posed a scenario: "Hari, picture this: You're strolling down the street, and a stranger crosses your path and touches you inappropriately. Would you respond with empathy, considering perhaps the person has lacked intimacy in their life, or would you swiftly react with a slap?" Thanks to her, it struck me then that while understanding reasons behind someone's behaviour maybe important, taking action is equally crucial.
One morning, I woke up feeling utterly broken, sitting in one corner of the room, reflecting on my actions. Then, a text popped up on the phone from my friend:"At the end of the day, we're all machines. Treat yourself with the same care and attention you would give a machine. When there's a fault, identify and fix it. You are a machine, so you are allowed to commit mistakes. Oh yeah, sometimes, you might experience emotional overload, and that's okay. You're just processing things. Dreams? They're perfectly normal. They often serve as a way to regulate your thoughts and emotions." Ram recited me these words during one of the most challenging period of my life and ever since then, her words have always brought solace, helping me forgive myself now and then.
It was one of those evenings after office, over a cup of chai, where I had a short conversation with Thejesh after my first breakup back then. I recall opening up to him, expressing my struggle to concentrate on anything amidst overwhelming thoughts. "Plan your day the night before and ensure you kick-start with at least one task to tackle the first thing in the morning. Just don't give any space for your brain to 'think' what to do", he said. He assured me that I would be surprised at how much I could accomplish simply by following a structured plan to get away with dangling thoughts. Thanks to him, with just a couple of repetitions, I found my days returning to normalcy.
When I ran into Hemanth(then boyfriend, now partner) after years, he hit me with a question: "Hari, what do you wake up to?" Back then, I guess I was just waking up to the same old routine – I said, "Maybe some bread and chocos?", because, let's face it, the kitchen was my domain (a new experience for me at the time). But now? Oh, I've got a whole list of reasons. I wake up to squeeze in a workout when I'm feeling it, enjoy a leisurely morning coffee, take care of myself and my family, dive into new posts, try new things, run to friends, tackle my own challenges, and, of course, stay in the loop with what's happening in the world. Thanks to him, I've discovered so many more reasons to jump out of bed each day.
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