Issue Three Issue3 - TheZoom Magazine | Page 15

The reality of life. Whatever the reason, may- be they didn’t want to scare me or discourage me from dreaming and dreaming big but fac- ing the truth after believing in a lie your whole life doesn’t really make it easier. So, to the kid with “ potential,” to the kid with “a bright fu- ture,” to the kid with “a full life ahead”: Yes, you are talented, you are beautiful, you are in- telligent, you are confident, you are enough, you are enough, you are enough. But you will get tired. Some days you will wish people did not expect so much from you. You will wish you are allowed to take a break and cry, to miss classes once, twice, and sometimes for a whole week; you will get scared—life definitely has a way of tapping into your insecurities; you will meet people that seem prettier than you, sing better than you, write better than you, speak better than you do, work faster than you do. The trap of comparison is inevitable especial- ly in a world that feeds off competition and measuring success in one way by whoever is setting the standards.Some days you will be trapped in it for a while. If you are a student, for example, trust me, at some point you will HATE school, hate your classes, your profes- sors, and want to punch your classmates. I use the word “hate” to emphasize on how strong the emotion you will feel is. You will question the education system, you will question LIFE, so many times! And the ugly truth is that you will at times be visited by suicidal thoughts (I promise I am not being dramatic).Life will hit you from every corner and the thing is, con- trary to the popular belief, it doesn’t take a tragedy to keep you in bed; it just takes life. Sometimes it happens too fast, other days it happens too slow, some days it is fair and most days it is unfair. You will be denied opportunities that you know you deserved perhaps because of your gender, race, and sometimes just because they didn’t like you. You will meet bullies in form of people, thoughts, words, memories, or experi- ences. You will cry, a lot. You might develop a drinking problem just to numb the confusion; you will find things like relationships as an escape from reality just to be slapped by the very same thing.I know this sounds dramat- ic, pessimistic, childish maybe or just sounds like another spoiled child venting. Whatever way you choose to take this, depends on you, I am just here to be what no one was to me and say what was never said to me.Despite all the ugly things mentioned above though, you are still that person that was mentioned be- fore. Everything that is beautiful about you, everything that is true and pure about you is the things that will get you through the ugly days. The love in you will conquer the hate in the world, the confidence in you will rise at your lowest of moments, the voice, the writ- ing, the engineering, the drawing, the color- ing, the painting, the eye, the accuracy, the leader, the healer, the counsellor, the magician in you will always find ways out. For some, it might take longer than others, but that is what life is. Every human is born alone, every human being has their own time; to grow, to learn, to graduate, to work, to fall in love, to fall out of love, to succeed, and at last, to die. I say all this to wake up the spirit of calm- ness in you and in me. To remember that it isn’t about how fast you get to the finish line but about noticing and appreciating the leaps, strides, moments, and heart that you put in everything that you are doing. ved It is perhaps about patience, because patience, of your patience. gender, As race, and much sometimes as “trusting just the because process” they sounds didn’t like you. cliche, You it will is the meet reality, bullies sometimes in form you of people, will thoughts, have a moment words, of pause memories, in your or life experienc- or pauses es. at times. You will So cry, when a we lot. focus You on might everything develop out- a drinking side and problem forget what just is to happening numb the within, confusion; it you is then will that find we things get weary, like relationships tired, and confused as an escape because from we have reality forgotten just to to be feed slapped the inside by the very first. same So when thing.I those know draining this sounds days say dramat- hello, ic, remember pessimistic, that childish it is OK, maybe to just or take just a sounds step like back, another take a spoiled nap, then child try venting. again. Whatever way you choose to take this, depends on you, I am just here to be what no one was to me and say what was never said to me.Despite all the ugly things mentioned above though, you are still that person that was mentioned be- fore. Everything that is beautiful about you, everything that is true and pure about you is the things that will get you through the ugly days. The love in you will conquer the hate in the world, the confidence in you will rise at your lowest of moments, the voice, the writ- ing, the engineering, the drawing, the color- ing, the painting, the eye, the accuracy, the leader, the healer, the counsellor, the magician in you will always find ways out. For some, it might take longer than others, but that is what life is. Every human is born alone, every human being has their own time; to grow, to learn, to graduate, to work, to fall in love, to fall out of love, to succeed, and at last, to die. I say all this to wake up the spirit of calm- ness in you and in me. To remember that it isn’t about how fast you get to the finish line but about noticing and appreciating the leaps, strides, moments, and heart that you put in Featured / Image By Jkanam everything that you are doing. It is about pa- tience, patience, patience. In a world of flaws and endless imper- fections, each one of us carries the right amount of perfection required to get through it. You’re enough. I am enough, we’re all enough. If you make it out of bed tomorrow morn- ing and be able to do life for the day…. hey! You’re winning!