Mosaic

As usual, I was scrolling through Instagram when a reel caught my attention. It was more of a gratitude and appreciation post for the friendships we all have in our lives. What struck me was this particular line in the voice-over. And, just as you might have guessed, I started thinking. Well, as long as thinking isn’t taxable, my will is my command.

We have come across a lot of people in our lives. Some turned out to be friends, and some turned out to be family. With certain people, it is an instant connection that helps us shed all our guards and insecurities. This group of people often fascinates me because it’s surprising how we feel understood and comfortable with them. Then there are the slow burners; we never know when they grew so close to us. We unknowingly start picturing them in our future, even while knowing the unpredictability of the future. They are so much a part of our lives that they have seen us grow into the person we are today. We often take them for granted, knowing they are here to stay.

Then there are people whom we once called our friends, confidantes, or even soulmates, who gradually fade into the realm of memories. They leave us with bittersweet memories. They are the ones who once made us happy and eventually taught us what we now call life lessons. In most cases, they will have no idea how much they have contributed to shaping the person we are today. Whenever they come to our minds, they bring a smile to our faces, tinged with a hint of disappointment. Then come the people who were so adept at creating pesky impressions. For some reason, we get this feeling that they are not the best for us and that they will mess up. They leave us feeling proud that our intuitions were precise.

There are also people we couldn’t connect with. I often think about what could have been if we had seized the opportunity to get to know them better or given them another chance. It’s nothing but a whole other loop of what-if scenarios. Then there is this set of people who just passed through our lives. All we would have had with them would be a few fleeting encounters. We don’t know them enough, but some of their actions or words may have touched our lives so profoundly that they changed our thought process.

I cannot forget any of these people because I carry them in my memories. I am reminded of one or the other every day. They give me perspectives; they let me introspect about why I am the way I am. My actions are a reflection of all the experiences I have had with these people. In some cases, they are burdens of the past, while in others, they are a sack full of wisdom. They are a part of me, and I honestly do not know if it is good or bad. All of this makes me truly resonate with the line from the reel – ‘I am a mosaic of all the people I have known.’