More often than not, amid the commotion of the dance of life, it is possible to find that, in the careful choreography of the days, joy and fulfillment are planned to be experienced only when following the perfect plans. Quite contrarily, fate allows some of the sweetest episodes in life to unfold when least expected by people.
My mantras in these break periods have always been about using all of the time, be it going on solo adventures or doing the right thing and coming home for some kind of marathon of productivity. But fate had another card up its sleeve this time, and with a mix of disappointment and curiosity, it left me hanging in the campus. I have no idea at all that this twist of fate, which has thrown up suddenly like a storm, is going to make me treasure plenty of memories and connections.
Instead of a constant race across the whole globe, I spent time in the campus doing good with simple pleasures and timespent together with loved ones. Marathon gaming sessions with my brother that would outlast a transatlantic flight or suddenly end up with an impromptu sleepover at the astro club with the starlit sky for company, or just walking under the canopy of the night and adventure cycling on the roads of the campus giving out unwanted gyaan to the ever-enthusiastic juniors and who can forget the impromptu pani puri and ice cream extravaganzas! Playing with Holi was the best part of it! The above picture in the collage is clicked just 10 mins after getting forcefully woken up! And at each moment, it was a symphony of laughter and camaraderie, reminding me, “There is beauty when one is consciously present to fully touch and be touched by the capriciousness of life.
It reminded me once again that its detours lead unfailingly to unexpected treasures. Such as not getting a train for Puri, and landing up stranded in Kolkata for the night And these unplanned turns not only open our minds to so much more but bring in that required pinch of serendipity. And who knows, maybe I will take that missed train saga in my next blog, going into all sorts of details and personal anecdotes.
When I’ll look back on these in the future, my heart will be full of gratefulness for those spontaneous moments that have painted my life. These are small nudges that tell us happiness does not come from the color-coded schedule but rather being prepared to say ‘yes’ to whatever comes up with open arms and a liberal sprinkling of humor :p
So here’s to embracing the unexpected, relishing in every moment, be it on par with our plans or taking a hilariously unexpected detour, after all, because in this life
The best of things do more often than not knock from the most unexpected of doors or come completely unannounced and undisguised just to be unwrapped and treasured forever.