Happy Days

I began the year with a despondency due to the pandemic and the same turbulence going on in my intimate life. I was depressed for a good 7-9 months. 

It kept evolving into this dementor that sucked the life out of me even to get up in the morning and would ask itself what was the purpose of living. I guess there was an existential crisis.

I was a software developer to which I had to show up every day. I couldn't function at work and had to take some time off to get better. The medical break didn't help that much. 

One fine day I fainted, couldn't have balance caught dengue fever, and had a few friends like my hostel mates to help and doctors to heal, and once I got back to work, felt disconnected from her colleagues, clients, and management team.

I stayed in a hostel, imagine my surprisingly good-looking life that was fraught with troubles. Mama kept calling every 15 minutes to me and to everyone who was there on my primary contact list to make sure I was doing ok. My Bhai (brother) facetimed.

And when I returned.

"Hello, Good evening, My name is Renu. I am new to the town ,"she said,

"Hello mate, glad to have some company" For starters let's say I was elated since I was as lonely as a cave.

 I was not as well as I once used to. I am still stuck but couldn't take more time off.

The next day I got into my cabin, I saw a pretty little thing on my mail called *Pink-Slip*

I immediately ordered a pizza and some chocolate chip ice cream tub. The delivery person gave it. I could only see a fairy do that in dreams.Seriously.These guys are I don't have a word for it.

"What a great way to kick someone down when they are low, am I right?", Renu said to me when I returned to my room.

"I'm laid off too, searching for a job and I'm from humanities ", I was a little settled with the fact.

"I really appreciate the talk but are you getting any offers", for god's sake! I wondered. 

               She could have let that get to her, and for a moment it did affect and there was a silver lining that happened while she was going through these blues.

          During autumn when it was melancholic and everyone had got used to the work-from-home schedule, same tiresome- wake up feeling like she has no purpose in life and no reason to live. She got infuriated with herself with the low energy she had, so she had this palpable feeling of herself 

"What would make me happy right now?" 

"Ask yourself, dear," said I.

I know I have been through worse and I have overcome the past struggles.

"How can I make myself feel better right now?" ,

I got her some hot chocolate milk with marshmallows, Dalgona time was gone. 

"What can I do for myself to be happy right now?", she contemplated

There was this huge fallout with the family as well as the in-laws were unaccepting of her studies or her work.

Renu enjoyed acting ,teaching .She said she was an art freak. She had acted in plays, danced, and played guitar. Those things made her happy. She would still dance- the best kathak dancer I could vouch. We had this bass guitar which on we used to play beatles & rock beats .She enjoyed teaching and research.Also acting. 

           So, with that, she looked into an acting school, applied for a theatre course certificate then attended a workshop, and then actually gave her Education entrance and with a good rank thankfully enrolled into a university. Fell in love with the energy after attending each class and it led to that curiosity to what else could one do.

       Once she got laid off from a tasking 9-5 job,which has happened to me too, I suggested she apply to casting agencies getting hit with rejections from companies, left to right.

 "Thank you!", she smirked.

It's so rewarding to add to the stagnation.

Both of us would go strolling outside the hostel to get ourselves a cup of freshly brewed coffee. That was the fuel that kept us in medium spirits. 

      She was a bit pissed off.She told a rather implicit detail about her whereabouts. 

          Both of us shared some common traits :in no time we turned besties. 

Feeling defeated by family, but not willing to accept defeat from life, she said let's give acting a try. Maybe they'll take me in. And guess what?

They did!

Both of us got better job offers, Voila!! She got some parts in some content giving shorts from filtercopy and a web series too. 

She got invited to auditions from many agencies oftentimes did 7-8 hours of gym and photoshoots simultaneously  at a stretch. It felt like she belonged, that the feeling she was wanted, that she was accepted for being herself. Hadn't she felt that way, she'd got on her plan B already.Not as an actor but to try her stint as a dancer. 

As she embarked towards her acting career, being a professional and counselor, every time that she acted it brought out a glow and gave her an effervescent energy which amplified the confidence, it taught her lessons that she wouldn't have experienced had she worked in the other domain.

This year has taught her that no matter what struggle anyone goes through in life, they will diligently endure because they have no other choice. It also taught her that what is meant for, will not miss. It's a slop-shod life but you have to find the lesson in it. What if what you are going through is preparing you for what you've asked for?

She finally would say that's what happened to her- there was light at the end of the tunnel. Yes.

So I say to you my reader, don't give up on yourself or your life. Find your silver lining. If you can't, then ask yourself, what would make you happy right now?

Then embark on your own path and do what makes you feel content because you deserve that happiness, no matter what struggle you are going through.