Metamorphosis

"..Change, it's the only certain in life next to death."... 

    There's always a road near your home which had this turn you were always careful about, you made sure not to mess up the speed and end up crashing. But then suddenly, years later, you visit home and the turn is not there. Road patched up in a blind stop and you wonder how it got here in the first place. Your caution had to change. Places seem to run by quickly when the normal pace of life is being lazy. You don't see the change until it appears bold on your face and before you take a glance to process it, it moves by in silence. Hence, no stoppages in life.

    I remember the time my Ammi used to start processing the malai of doodh to make ghee. Hours of kitchen work would fill the whole house with the stench of pure ghee. I disliked ghee and had to run out of the house. I hated everything pungent that kicks in your nose. Everyone had their say on what's healthy and what's good for us but for a 9 year old kid, it was just a smelly thing. They say that a kid's habits change but once you grow up, you don't.

    Similarly monsoon, I hated monsoon. That season might be god's blessings for the farmers but for us kids, it'll ruin the sports period all the time. When it rained heavily, the wetness, potholes and so many things ichked me about that season. I believed that this hate towards ghee, monsoon rains and change of habits will not change. Acquired habits don't change, that's what life is right?

    I moved cities, went away for graduation, saw the places which movies cover, monuments people enjoy, saw the green lush forests, tall mountains, dry desert and the mighty sea. A lot of time has passed by since I left home, though I visit back once every 3-4 months but it's not the same. Time has passed by quickly. Whenever I'm back, lying back fully on my sofa, ammi will make me sooji ka halwa with ghee. She'll roast the dry fruits slowly as they change the crust and slowly cook the sooji until it's a halwa. All this time away from home has made me miss that stench which is now a smell I adore. She'll serve halwa with roti and that'll be my comfort meal.

    From hating it to acquiring fondness of ghee, a lot of time has passed by and I changed. Last week I was coming back from doing some chores, rain started and quickly became a storm. In a hurry I looked for my raincoat but it wasn't there, drenched in rain I improvised and went ahead with the rain showering me from head to toe. Unbothered and silly, I was singing songs and spitting out the rain water in fun. I loved how it slapped me in the face yet kissed me with thrill the next second. I enjoyed rain. And hence I changed. Soon enough you'll realise that you are no longer everything you were. Time passed by and you've changed. Philosophically or not, even for the good or bad, it doesn't matter. You'll change. That's the only certainty in life other than death. That you'll change.

    You see, life brings so much in with the flow of time, someone else's favorite ice cream becomes your favorite flavor, one song you hated might be something you'll dance upon or the worst might actually turn to be the best. So as the time will pass by you'll change, the only good is that you have to enjoy and observe it whenever it comes.

    - Tell the heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.