Our lives

It took a 1/3 of a lifetime to unravel the many lessons life teaches. We started off with such innocence, optimism and defiance, saw life in the eye, stared into the harshness and chose to either walk ahead confident, still trusting life or refused to listen and walked on stumbling.Four people who have had such different lives. Between us I think we have made all the mistakes possible growing up and experienced the worst that relationships bring with it. Not that we are enlightened souls now, but somehow we have tided over much, together, alone or with others. Two are still on that road and two of us have reached a place where we can feel some pleasure at the way life has eventually turned out for us.

A after denying her mom’s cancer for years, lost her mom when she was 16. Soon she spiralled into depression and denial. Making the wrong friends taught her some right lessons; her brothers and some other valuable experiences kept her sane. For the next 5 years she strove hard to see sense in mistakes and eventually learned to love and respect herself, discovering the best in her. After breaking her heart to bits, when she chose to focus on herself she found in the most unlikely way possible, the one person who saw the real her and loved her. With love, came marriage and a different set of trial and tribulations. But the journey has only gotten better.

D chose to spend her free years committed to a boy who everybody believed was wrong for her. She bore the crap that people offered to her. She made a choice, and with a strength that only women possess went about fulfilling that commitment. She lost and then later regained her friends and family in the process. Years, marriage and a new born baby later, she lost that man who was the centre of her world. When everyone thought she would break, she instead rose up with unbelievable grace. What she had missed out on, she found: fun, friends, family and later the perfect partner for her. She got married and everyone believes that he is the one she was always meant to be with.

K, the kid of the group always had her feet firmly embedded in the ground. She lived her years as any teenager did, but she chose not to let dreams get the better of her. As she grew she walked on the path she had always dreamt off. She moved to a different country, studied and moved into a career where she excels; like she always did in everything she took up. But love has evaded her over the years. She has been unable to find it where she looks for it. She believes she will find it but also gets dejected at what she sees. But she believes in living her life and her world is full. Her journey though has just begun.

S was the one people either loved or hated. She spent her childhood trying to epitomize what the world believed a good girl should be like. Everything from the bird to the bees to boys was foreign territory. Defying parents wasn’t part of her vocabulary and she was often stuck with guilt even with the choices others made. But boys came to her like bees and many misunderstandings and experiences years later, she fell in love. Only this guy had ‘mistake’ written all over him. She stuck on, only to be abused by him and his mother. Her family rescued her, saved her from near death but the shadow haunts her. It touches every relationship and threatened to destroy her faith in life. Ironically, she is also one of the smartest and astute people when it comes to running a business. Professionally she soars high while emotionally she floundered, expecting someone to come heal the pain in her heart. Finally she looked inside herself to find all she needs. Now she knows what she wants, but doesn’t know what life wants from her.

Each of us is unique and yet the same. We are everyone – women of yesterday, today and tomorrow who face life head-on. We cry, we laugh, we shout; but we always remember to be strong. As we grew distances came in the form of relationships, work and life. But we always found each other. We live in different cities in different parts of the world. But sometimes life does throw us together to celebrate the special bond we share. When we are away, we miss each other sorely. And today is one of those days for me…