27 Realisations after 27 Revolutions Around the Sun

Then and now seem to morph into each other that I sometimes cling madly to each passing moment.

Now another year marks my time on earth. The past 12 months have been a rollercoaster ride and they have passed by in one happy blur. I choose happy because even though the lows frequently visited, the highs outweighed them all. I’ve also indulged in a lot of poetry and books so my heart and soul are in a state of blissful contentment. I can say I’ve grown this time. A little wiser, a little stronger.

I hope next year will be kinder too.

1. You are still alive and it remains a perpetual surprise. Maybe you can start getting used to it from now on.
2. After all these years, sunsets still have the power to take your breath away although you will never understand why something that beautiful would make your heart ache.
3. Nothing is constant but knowing that does not stop you from wishing for constancy.
4. Silence is golden though you often use it as a weapon.
5. Hurting someone will always be a two-edged sword. Never think you will be spared from the pain just because you are the one who gave the first strike.
6. You are too unforgiving. You commit every mistake to memory so that they pile up and close to bursting, you let go of iron control. And what do you expect to happen afterward? An avalanche, of course.
7. It is futile to try so hard to be in people’s life when they don’t want you there in the first place. So, let go, let go, let go.
8. Think of this nugget of wisdom from Dorothy Parker: ‘Love is like quicksilver in the hand. Leave the fingers open and it stays. Clutch it and it darts away.’
9. The opposite of love is not hatred. It is indifference. Remember that always.
10. If you want to forget someone, never give in to loathing, or bitterness, or the urge for retribution. Instead, take them down from the pedestal and make them irrelevant. You have proven once that it works. It can work again.
11. You no longer believe in magic. And you have, finally, stopped wondering why.
12. But you still find wonder in the pages of books. Savour them while you can.
13. There are other things you have stopped believing in. Like dreams. Like love. Like promises. Is there anything left?
14. There is solitude. The thirst for it is stronger than ever, but you have your moments of weakness too. Don’t you wish, sometimes, to just stop shutting up like a clam and be more open to possibilities?
15. Your wishes don’t matter and the universe doesn’t give a damn. Also, know that it is perfectly okay.
16. The highs are fleeting. And the lows, as they always do, linger. They are beyond your control, but you can do something about your reaction to them.
17. Things may get worse sometimes, but they can get better. They always do.
18. You can actually work like a horse if you put your mind into it. Now work harder to bring back your sense of optimism.
19. Choose your battles. You cannot fight on all fronts.
20. Things you have learned: dealing with disappointments, saving for rainy days, and being kinder to yourself.
21. Things you still need to learn: being brave enough to change your mind, to forgive and forget, and to take another leap into the unknown.
22. You have actually managed to live alone, truly alone, for more than a year now. Isn’t it liberating?
23. Sometimes life gives you something incredible, one you are not asking for, and it is all you can do to stop yourself from kissing the earth in utmost gratitude. Stop asking whether you deserve it or not.
24. Here is one thing you should remember when you feel like turning your back from the world: there are people who care for you and love you unconditionally.
25. You are still learning the art of letting go of things that no longer serve their purpose. Take your time but never change your mind.
26. Remember to always choose to be kinder than you feel.
27. The ebb and flow of the miracle that is life never ceased to amaze you. And isn’t it a good thing?

P. S. Happy birthday, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Kurt Vonnegut, and Carlos Fuentes. Thank you for making the world of literature richer. ❤️