Friends Who Come Back

Some days ago, I got back in touch with a friend with whom I lost contact years ago. Meeting my friend after so many years (more than a decade actually) felt amazing. It brought many emotions and feelings and was a mix of joy, surprise, nostalgia, and a lot of other things. While I was still wondering how the years had passed so quickly (it all feels like yesterday) and how we had gotten busy with our lives, meeting each other made us realize that nothing much had changed. 

We say that social media sites and technology help us stay connected all the time with family and friends, but I also feel that there is something extra special about actually talking to someone over the phone, sending them a handmade present, or meeting them in person. Technology is but a tool to help make our life easier. It cannot replace the beauty of true connection. Our ancestors knew the importance of actually meeting up with their family and friends and thus they were much more connected. 

Seeing pictures and status updates of people online cannot replace the feeling you get when you actually talk to them. It is much more personal and helps build the quality of the friendship. 

Over the years, I made many friends. Some of them have stayed, and some went out of touch over time. The ones that really matter to me are the ones who make the effort to keep in touch, not just on social media but in real life. They are the ones who accept me with all my flaws and life experiences. I accept them the way they are too. 

In life, we will meet many people. If you feel that you want to keep a friendship growing, then make the effort to meet them in person or take the time to call them. Wish them on their birthday, ask them how they are doing. These old-school and simple things will always mean more than a social media update. 

While we see everyone staring into their phones and looking at the updates of their friends, colleagues, and relatives, all this has just left us deeply disconnected from each other. These things don't really help us improve our relationships in any way. They are just an illusion that makes us feel we are in touch with everyone. It is best to live a simple and private life and share what matters to those who matter. It is beautiful to see how old friends come back to our life and while everything seems to have changed, it all still feels the same. It feels like home :)

Re-Invent Yourself !!

Where did 2020 go? It's already 2021 and we are into a new year. I realized that I hadn't blogged for quite a long time, due to having gotten lazy, I guess? I suddenly felt the need to start writing once again. And so, here goes! Today's post is a simple one, about a topic that most of us can relate to - Re-inventing yourself. 

Image Creds: Photo by Ylanite Koppens from Pexels 

While most of us are growing up, we start having a certain set of ideals and ways of thinking and living. Many of us have certain interests like reading, hiking, cycling, etc. As we grow up, we find it more difficult to move out of the kind of person we are. So, for example, if you are someone who is considered as 'shy', you live your whole life believing that to be true. The same goes for if you enjoy singing, then the world expects you to be doing that throughout your life.

We end up having rigid ideas of who we are and the image we have built over the years. Through this post, I would like to convey to everyone that it is ok to give yourself permission to change and let those parts of your life that dont resonate with you anymore fall away. There is no need to be scared since as you let go, wonderful new things come into your life to take the empty places. 

Some examples of how you can re-invent yourself, and make changes in your life are: 

1) If there is something you have always wanted to do with your looks...like getting that new haircut, changing your wardrobe style, painting your nails and creating art on them (nail art), then you should absolutely go ahead and do it!

2) If you find an existing hobby or interest to be something you don't enjoy anymore, then leave it and move on to something new and fun!

3) Don't marry someone you don't love. (Or marry only when you find love.) There are many people out there who have a marriage that is empty, and that is not a great place to be in.

4) Accept every flaw of yourself. Love it, and acknowledge it. If you don't, then who will?

5) Let go of friendships that are not authentic. (You don't want fake people in your life, right?) If someone really cares, they will stick up with you no matter what. The others are just crowd...that will go away anyways.

6) Don't entertain one-sided relationships. (This can be any kind of relationship - friends, romantic, relatives, or others). 

7) Remember that class you always wanted to take? Take it now. 

8) You don't have to put up your life on social media. Most of what you see there are just moments of people's lives. (Let FOMO go away.)

You can add to the list as and when you find more things to add. There are no hard and fast rules here since it is life and it is different for everyone. The main thing to remember is to be fluid and flow through life without having to be stuck in a box. 

Go out there and Re-Invent yourself! Nature does it all the time..that is how we have seasons.