The Sign of the Times

I turned 22 this year. the feeling of growing up was reinforced when I finished my post graduation (albeit, unofficially) and had to decide what to do next. amidst this, people started letting me know that I've truly grown up because now, I was eligible to get married! Strange aunties and grannies wanted to know if I had a guy in mind, or should they start looking for one within their network, and you know how this goes!

Had I known 22 would send me on such a spiral, I would have probably refrained from getting my life in order so soon.

Jokes apart, I never expected this year to be such a refresher in itself. Do you ever? I saw youngsters breaking up at 13, putting up statuses of being in true love and being devastated or being angry at the supposed ex. I saw people asking each other if they were happy with a relationship which involved sex, but nothing much other than that. I saw people installing and uninstalling tinder over and over again (guilty as charged!) and I found several happily committed people I knew there. I saw people vowing to be together forever and forgetting each other in a month. even after all of this, I still see my friends reminding me that I was supposed to stay positive and let love enter my life because it would make everything better.

I'd read an article this year about how the millennials are more interested in having connections which translate well on the social media but not in the real world. How they hide behind their smartphones and tablets and let their keyboards speak. maybe, it's true. we have crippled ourselves because we have the option to go to an app to find love, another one to find friends and yet another one to find work. But, do you really think there can ever be any replacement for the real conversation involving two people? you might be able to introduce yourself to a complete stranger through an app, but, do you really think that you'll be able to build a lasting impression on that person by using a couple abbreviations and emojis?

I'm from the millennial age. And yes, I'm on social media sites, and I use apps everyday for varied purposes. I talk to strangers and connect with people I think can help me someday. Even with all of this, I hold a conversation over a cup of coffee or even over a book above a text war over hours. I love meeting people and discussing the most mundane details of my life and theirs. I love looking at them when they tell me about their hilarious classmates, or practically ancient bosses. I love the flitting emotions on the faces throughout the duration of a 15 minute conversation. Do you think there is any text message that could bring me the same joy?

I've always thought, and I've thought about this a lot, that finding your perfect fit, the old puzzle piece to your jigsaw would be a long and tedious process. It would be much like searching for a needle in a haystack. But, when you unearth it, you'd know that all the sweat was well worth it. because this person would always make you feel like a priority. You'll feel like the first choice, an equal partner. You would know that no matter how hard your day was, no matter how big a fight you got into with your parents, you will always get to come home to a safe place. This person will make you want to be the best version of yourself, no because they'd leave you, but because you'll honestly believe that they deserve nothing but the best. You know that you've finally come home.

This might be the old soul trapped inside of me speaking, or the girl who finally grew up talking but when it comes to endings, I have learned that they don't always mean you've failed at something. I've seen that endings can sometimes open new doors for better beginnings and close old doors that weren't going to lead us anywhere in the first place. they force us to find a new home, a new way, a new friends or a new lover and they force us to put ourselves back together. I'm learning to see that endings are an integral part of life instead of making them failures or meltdowns. I'm learning to end things when they stop working instead of letting them poison me because I held on to them, turning them toxic. I finally understand that some things should be left as they are and they won't last forever. they only last for a while. some people are a part of life for only a small time. I'm slowly learning to let things end because endings aren't as terrifying as I thought. They are safe. They are cleansing and necessary. I'm learning to say goodbye to things and people I don't want to let go because I need to let them grow and make room for better people in their lives, the right ones, the more loving ones.

I'm finally seeing that there is immense freedom in endings. and so much hope. Oh so much hope. And isn't that what each one of us look for? The times may not show us how to be the sensitive person who takes things slow and cautiously, but that doesn't mean you don't be that person. Why do you care what others feel? The social media is not forever and neither is the crowd that hides within it.


Human body sheds about 5 million cells everyday, and our entire skin regrows every 27 days. So, if you're scared of being in your skin today, you'll be in a new one in 27 days. They wouldn't ever be able to actually touch you unless you let them. What are you waiting for?