Letters From Juliet

Sharing a part of my soul with the world. Original Content. 

[letterslostandfound]

Life's as kind as you let it be...

I read one quote --'Life's as kind as you let it be' -- somewhere, years ago. It took me a while to grasp its depth. Then I read it again. 'Life will be kind to you, only if you let it be, and as much as you let it be,' I told myself, out loud. Soon, like any other millennial, I turned to my social media and shared the quote with my 'followers'. Some appreciated, most weren't able to comprehend. That day I told myself, that I want to abide by this quote. I will be kind to myself, to my life and to everyone around me. Isn't this the only way to build a life which is bustling with kindness?

But ...I failed. Life threw rocks at me, and instead of nurturing my wounds and putting those rocks aside, I said 'You deserved it, you didn't make the right choices, you were driven by emotions, you were not wise enough, you are an emotional fool, etc and etc.' I forgot to shower, or even drizzzle myself with kindness.

Why is it so easy to be kind to your loved ones or even a stranger? But so hard to apply the same when it comes to our own selves. One small mistake, and we start with the blame game: 'You should have been careful, you should have thinked twice'. Haven't we read the quote 'to err is human' when we were in school?

Mistakes are a part of life. They are like wrong trains, some of them take you to place of darkness, while others might land you somwhere nice. So why fear making mistakes? Why not be that mother to your soul, who hugs her child even tighter when she breaks a glass vase? Why not be that father to your heart, who still pays for his child's next trip, knowing they have not been a good kid all year long?

Let's make this vow to be kind to our soul, our being, our body, mind and heart. Because don't forget, 'Life's as kind as you let it be.'

(Photo: Google)

[letterslostandfound]

After all this time? Always...

It was an usual summer evening (2002), when I -- then just about 6 -- went to  my cousins’ place nearby, accompanied by my elder sister. But our usual play session was cut short by my cousin’s friend -- a guy who lived next door. He invited us over to watch a film. I was too young to comprehend why, upon hearing the film’s name --  my sisters got so excited! 

We left whatever we were doing and reached his place. He played the film on a CD player. And to create the perfect atmosphere, he made the room pitch dark -- as what we were about to witness, he said, was nothing short of MAGIC!

It was “Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone”. The first part of the film series which was about to create history. I was a child back then, and though I did enjoy whatever was playing on screen -- I wasn’t able to grasp anything beyond the surface.

Every year a new part released, and every year I watched it. And to me, it was nothing but a film about wizards -- where the good fights the bad, and wins! Simple. 

Just about recently, I decided to revisit the world of Harry Potter. Now, 24, I was able to see the film on a different light altogether. It made me think, reflect upon and question life. 

The world of wizard isn’t much different from the “muggle world”. Isn’t “dark lord” synonymous to all things “dark” in our world -- let’s say the fundamental darkness that resides within each one of us. Even a part of Voldemort resided in Harry -- giving him sleepless nights, making his life challenging. Just like our negative thoughts, which can keep one awake at night, and its power is infinite too. 

But Harry chose to fight the dark. And he never lacked courage to do so. But had he been alone in this journey, he would have lost long ago. He fought along with his friends and family (if not related by blood). 

He chose love over hate, compassion over greed and wisdom over power. These, after all, are some of the life lessons we all require. And Harry Potter -- when viewed from the realm of reality or adulthood -- readily teaches us so! 

Thus, being in my 20s, Hogwarts didn’t seem like a distant, mystical land to me. Rather, it made me re-think the “spells” I can use to create magic in my own world. It made me value the people around me, and bring forth courage, compassion and wisdom ahead of everything in life. 

Thus, it made me reinstate my faith that “good always triumphs over evil in the end”. After all, we are what we choose to believe in, and the path we choose to embark on. After all, choices are what makes us who we are, just how rightly Dumbledore says to Harry: “ It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

(Image:Youthartpath.com)

[letterslostandfound]

5 posts!

[letterslostandfound]

/ SELF-LOVE /

The absence or lack of self-love in one’s life can be disastrous. Why? 

Because she might be the kindest soul -- but will fail to be her own refuge. She might be the richest of all -- but will fail to buy what she’ll crave the most. And even if she’s the prettiest, or smartest -- she won’t have the eye to see her own beauty, or appreciate her own talent. 

An era may not even be enough for her to find happiness. A lifetime may not bring her peace of mind. Because she’ll keep looking for the treasure -- which she has been holding onto all along -- outside...

(-self)

[letterslostandfound]

Pursuit of Happiness

I remember watching an interview, about a year back. There, an actor -- who was recently in the limelight for her messy breakup -- was asked how is she dealing with it. While she went on explaining, and presenting a politically correct answer, her co-actor -- who was sitting beside her, boldly said that he follows a simple theory when it comes to dealing with heartbreaks. “I believe that(ex) person wanted to be happy, alone or with someone, and has moved on. So that might be termed ‘selfish’ by many, but then why not be selfish and choose to be happy? If that person finds his/her happiness, then why should I be hung up on him/her? I want to be happy too.”

This thought stayed with me. And somewhere, it made me think -- no matter how bad the heartbreak is -- can’t we be selfish and choose to be happy by letting go and ...and moving on? Though, it is easier said than done. But this thought process can help those who are dealing with heartbreaks.

Few months back, I myself had a messy heartbreak. It hit me like a truck -- because I did not see it coming, and it happened too soon. Initially, I was in denial and was not dealing with it in a good way. But gradually, I realised that he has probably moved on, and happily so. Then why shouldn’t I be selfish? I want to be happy too, and moving on comes easy when one can accept that the other person is doing well -- without you. So you should be doing better -- without him. Not a competition, but then even if it is -- it is probably a race towards achieving happiness. And happiness never hurts, it never gives up on you. It is a decision you make, each day of your life. Not even a choice. But a firm decision that -- I WANT TO BE HAPPY TOO!

[letterslostandfound]

First Time

To the one who broke my heart,

When she asked me when I had my first heartbreak, I replied “in college.”

My friend was eager to know all about that man. “How he looked?” “What did he do?” “What went wrong?”

I told her, “He was a wise man. Perhaps, too wise...and too old.”

“Old?” she shuddered. 

“Yes. Almost 70,” I replied.

She didn’t say a word. She didn’t ask me further questions, but I had to pour my heart out about this ‘heartbreak’ -- I’ve been carrying with me for so long. The first one. The worst one.

I told my friend, he was the one who taught me how to write, the one who made me realise my worth, the one who inspired me to dream.

I told her how he gave me the courage to go out of my comfort zone, to explore the unknown and to breakfree from the known.

I confessed how shattered I was when I heard he was a ‘predator’ in the disguise of a guide -- a professor. He molested students, abused them - emotionally and physically.

He was my favorite teacher. I was one of his favorite students -- but I could have been his victim. I could have been the one he abused. I could have.

No, it was not love. But yet, it was. I loved him as a guide, a friend, a father. And thus, it broke my heart -- when I saw him for what he was. It broke my heart to think I lacked the courage to confront him. To stand up for my friends, my fellow classmates. 

It broke my heart to see him being called out during #metoo. But what broke my heart more was how he reigned still, even after all these. Still inspired many, abused some. Still broke many hearts, bruised many souls, touched many bodies -- without consent.

He broke my heart like no other man, ever could or ever will. The first one, and yes the worst one.

[letterslostandfound]

Lonely Nights

To those lonely souls,

“I miss hugs,” she said over the call, her voice choking. 

She’s one of those who has been stranded alone, far off from his home, amid a global pandemic.

Some are with family, some with friends, while some are with their partners or roommates. But what about those lonely souls, who cannot share their deepest fears -- amid these trying times?

Nights, especially, are hard for these people. It seems like a never-ending dark hole, ready to engulf them. So, they wait for dawn -- to sleep. They talk to the walls, the plants, the mirror. 

They are counting days, subconciously. They are hoping against hope, that they will meet that person they love soon -- the ones they took for granted. And today, they crave their voice, their touch, their warmth.

Beacuse at the end of the day, all you need is someone to talk to, or hold on to -- to assure that you are not alone in this. That we are not alone in this. Is it too much to ask for?

But as they say, winter always turns into spring. And nomatter how cold and harsh the winter might be, spring will come in all its glory and fill your lives with love, yet again. 

Till then, why not try to discover yourself all over again? Why not embrace the lonely nights and nurture your thoughts, your dreams and your passion? 

Because sometimes, you are enough! 

-- self

[letterslostandfound]

Shared Secrets

It’s not easy to express. Epecially to those who you love. There comes a time in each person’s life when words fall short. When confrontation or confession seems like a war -- a war between the heart and the mind. The mind tell you to keep mum, as some things are better left unsaid. But the heart wants you to say what you’ve been longing to. And nomatter what you do, or where you go -- those unsaid words haunt you, keeps you awake at night. 

To share a saga of such unsaid words with the world out there, I am going to write letters. These letters are the ones which I have long kept hidden. These are for the ones whom I have met on my life’s journey till now, the ones with whom I have shared something special, or something bitter. But somewhere, somehow, I failed to pour my heart out to them. But as they say, it’s never too late.