For a long time now, I’ve been fascinated by all the different pieces of advice that have been dished out to me.
The one a sloshed girlfriend gave me post two (or five) rather strong pegs of whiskey. She had no recollection of any of her blabberings the morning after.
The one an ex-boss threw my way with utmost fake sincerity because that’s what she thought was the right thing to do. Ofcourse, it was unsolicited.
The ones Maa keeps serving, albeit with a generous sprinkling of sass. “I know you won’t listen to me but…” is her not-so-subtle way of stating that she’s given up on me (yay).
The ones I give myself during my, ahem, self-counselling sessions, which coincidentally always take place after smoking a solid joint. It’s another thing though that the determination to follow them lasts only for as long as the high lasts.
But by far, the best piece of advice I’ve ever received was something a colleague (now best friend) told me on a rainy day in 2019. And like every life-altering moment, I fondly remember this one too with exquisite detail. Allow me.
I was mourning the loss of my favourite person — he didn’t die, sheesh, just casually turned into a stranger 🥲 . Even though I wasn’t a smoker at the time, she insisted I tag along for a smoke break because apparently, even passive nicotine helps.
We were walking down the corridor — I continued to casually whine to her about how meaningless life felt without him. Right as we were stepping into the lift, she cut me short to speak those golden words.
“Each person who enters our life is a chapter in our story and not the story itself. They have a purpose, a role to play. So, why don’t we choose gratitude over grief? Be grateful that they served their purpose and made an exit when the time came? Will it not bring us closer to acceptance and help us move on to whoever’s turn it is to enter our story next?”
It’s been a really long time ever since but I continue to find myself going back to this moment on days when life doesn’t make much sense. What she said in such a by-the-way manner — a pep talk she probably doesn’t even recall anymore — left an indelible mark on me. And about the universe and its twisted plans — I know it’ll be fun to finally meet the one whose purpose in my story is to make me laugh when we’re both 70 and toothless. Until then, it’s gratitude all the way! ✨