We were smiling in different directions; the moment our eyes met we stopped smiling.
Expressions changed and eyes left wandering on the floor. Learning has never been so easy, just like any instant recipe. A bit is taken out from strength mixed with heaps of willingness, coated in rock-solid pieces of heart and then keep frying your soul with unmet desires, till you are burnt.
Remember the walk we took under the drizzling sky and above soaked pavement?
I remember. Each step we took, each look we had while holding on to your shoulder; the most serene and maybe the most secure moment of life so far. We built a world within the world right then and there. And then you broke it, broke our world altogether.
The equilibrium of life was lost somewhere in the middle of Sweet November.
I was reminiscing with a class fellow about old days at university when I came across the above quotation. You read it and say, nobody could be more honest and striking about being nostalgic.
Nostalgia is a feeling which can take over you at any point in time but winters savor it best. If I go back into time, along with all those who were around and accompanied me, I had the best of life indeed. While reading the quote, I realized that it’s a fact that we only miss our past when we go through a bitter present. Otherwise who would miss the bad patch? It’s only the goodness and sheer happiness of times we miss and obviously the people.
As time passes, we grow older and lose our freedom at the hand of time and others. All our life we want to grow up and jump from school to college to university. It’s only after those years when we are trapped in the vicious circle of responsibilities; we cherish what we had in those years. We had freedom and fun. The enthusiasm was filled in each small activity of life. Laughter wrappers were all around our days and nights. From a small Rs.5 Kit Kat to cheating in the quiz was our essence of life.
The maximum tension we suffered was maintaining a GPA or small heart-matters. I call them small because life has taught me what is BIG.
I still remember how we saw the first reporting of the Iraq War at a friend’s house and discussed it with her late father, Baba. We had huge dreams of changing the world and making our names in the history of time. Lifetime plans were discussed between the small spaces of the library or over Samosas (Potato Patty).
The freedom of dreams and imagination we experienced is priceless. We just didn’t know that out beyond these iron gates, the reality and responsibility both awaits us.
In winters, we want the warmth of our memories to wrap us, or else the season can leave its mark on us.
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I am happy that many of us hold a delightful past which makes us optimistic about the future and harbor our present.
