You ‘look’ Just The Same

Very well written, Lakshmi @jskls.
I too have received this comment. Perhaps it means our behaviours and ways have not been affected by the changes in our social standings. I think it is a big compliment.

 

Very lovely @jskls
I am going to meet my school friend after many years this upcoming weekend. Now I am curious to what she will say. Will share it with you.

 

She gets this observation too. She goes, looks into the mirror. The swollen eyes, the grey hair tell a different story. She looks at old pictures and is shocked at the change wrought by time.

She thinks of her life a few decades ago, surrounded by parents, family and friends and thinks of her life of relative isolation except for work and home. She has gotten used to being alone, so much so that it is an effort to socialize and she always feels relieved to return to the isolation of her own room. She used to love being surrounded by people.

Then she sits down to dream, blow mental bubbles and to write. And the truth in the statement comes back. She has not changed all that much after all.

 

Dear Jskls,

Very well written and I can connect to this very well. It's more than the physical appearance, what we feel inside. As long as we keep that young and unwavered we will still be 16.

Vani

 

Dear Lakshmi,

I wish I could get that complement at the age of 64. I used to have a big mustache when I was young and had the habit of rubbing it when I think deeply. People used to get intimidated thinking that I was threatening them. Now, after migrating to the US, I have removed my mustache. I have lost most of my hair in the head and whatever remains turned white. I used to have brilliant sense of humor when I was young but I lost it as I learned very hard lessons in life. I used to be filled with anger when I was young but now I have mellowed down a lot. Other than education, I used to fill my entire day with a lot of fun but now I fill my day with a lot of thoughts about the life and its purpose other than my work schedule.

I had watched Bobby 5 times because I liked Dimple Kapadia so much when I was young and now I can't even watch a full movie with patience once. I used to chant a lot of different Mantras when I was young and also used to attend religious discourses but I barely know any of those chants now and I only source all religious and spiritual information from the books. I used to be very thin and played at least two hours (badminton, shuttle, cricket, table tennis, etc.) but I do very little exercise other than my walks and definitely added a lot of weight. I used to play carom board and chess regularly but now I don't have those skills. When I went to college, to break the barrier of acceptance by friends, I had picked up some bad habits like smoking, eating dishes I was not supposed to eat, etc. but better sense prevailed later in my life.

The first think most people say if I meet them after 2-3 decades was, "Had you not told me who you were, I wouldn't have guessed you". My appearance, demeanor, way of talking, habits, hobby, etc. changed dramatically but only thing that remains constant is my simplicity that I had learned by observing my father.

Viswa