I am a final year degree student who has been away from home, seen quite a few ups and downs, broke and built myself a thousand times over with only one reassuring thought in mind- to hold on till April 2020. I would finish my studies by then and fly back home, that was the goal.
Just a little more patience till April- I kept telling myself almost everyday. But just when we almost reached March, the world turned upside down. Lockdown was unbearably hard for me. I missed college, friends and most importantly, my parents. Stuck with an unfinished degree and no possibility to fly back home, I started losing my patience. It was suffocating. I couldn't write, I barely cooked and mostly slept in.
So to keep me sane I started spending time with my grandparents and moved in with them. Of course I spent time with them before too, but I never felt it in my soul. Maybe because it was always about them loving me and me, never making an effort to love them back. I never sat with them all night listening to their stories, I never cooked for them, never cleaned or fed them, but now that I did, I realized what a beautifully raw feeling it is- to just have them around, to feel the peace and warmth that surrounds.
The touch of old skin, wrinkled smiles, the smell of nana's perfume, the aroma of Nani's world best meatball curry, coffee and some beautiful sunsets are things that have kept me alive. I am grateful the lockdown is changing me and pulling me down to simpler yet wholesome moments of happiness I always skipped.
Away from my marathon, it's given me a wave of calmness I didn't know I was hollow without. It's made me hold on to my roots and learn from the things that nobody will teach me later. It's still hard on somedays but I now believe that I am exactly where my Lord wants me to be right now and cherish people I was always unappreciative about.
I don't know what you take away from this story, but I'll tell you one thing- sometimes things don't work our way because the universe wants to teach us something more beautiful and memorable. If only we stop trying to run. If only we pause and embrace every moment with its own hidden sparkle. If only we believe everything has a purpose and if only we adjust to that purpose- we all can paint our lives with blooming colors