The journey that made me a better me!

Life is a journey. We all have our share of good and bad times. Good times we can handle on our own. But it is in our bad times that we need help- it is then that we need someone to just listen to what we have to say. That is the best form of support that one can give others when life doesn’t seem to be too kind on them. 
I have had my share of troubles too. At one point of time, I felt like giving it all up. Though I am not the one who gives up so easily, the situation made me feel really low. For the outside world my life was perfect. A final year engineering student with a placement in a core company- that was the definition of a perfect life for the outside world. Sounds awesome right? But my life wasn’t. My health problems which started over a year ago, suddenly started troubling me more. I used to be a very active person balancing a lot of activities in college. But due to my health issues I started feeling tired very easily and all I wanted to do was to rest! That’s not all. I started gaining weight and my problems only increased. If this wasn’t enough, I had other personal issues to deal with. Due to some misunderstandings my friends started avoiding me. People started accusing me of things that I never did. And it hurt me even more. I felt left out and I felt lonely. I usually share all my problems with mom. But this time I didn’t want to bother her as she was already worried about my health and then she had her own set of problems to deal with. I slowly started losing interest in all that I did. All I wanted was to go away from that atmosphere as soon as possible. I had applied for an internship and there was no response about it for a long time and I lost hope of getting the internship as well.
Exams started and I hardly studied. My classmates started planning for a tour after exams as this was our last year of engineering and we wouldn’t all be together from the next year. I always wanted to go for a tour with my classmates from the beginning of engineering but though I had a chance this time, I didn’t feel like going.
Mothers always know what is best for their children. And my mom wasn’t used to seeing me sad and lonely. She knew something was wrong but she didn’t ask me what it was all about. But she also knew that I needed a change and one fine day she came to me, gave me the money that was required to be paid for the tour and told me to go. I was surprised! Usually when I want to go for a trip I have to try hard to convince her to send me and many times the answer is a “No”. But this time it was she who asked me to go. And could I tell no and miss this opportunity?
We decided to go to Madikeri – a place known for its scenic beauty. We left on the night our exams got over and we had planned spend two days there. I am friends with all my classmates but I used to spend more time only with a certain group of friends. But this trip gave me the chance to get closer to my other classmates as well. Since I wasn’t actually in the mood for enjoying the trip, I ended up sitting in a corner when others were singing and dancing! My friends then spoke to me and tried to cheer me up. They told me that there was no use of thinking over the that hurt me. They told me that the more I thought over, the more it would hurt me. I pondered over what they said and decided to enjoy the trip as much as I could.

I have always loved nature and hence Madikeri proved to be the perfect spot for me to rediscover myself and cheer myself up. Those rides along the winding hill roads, my first boat ride, the over night chatting sessions with friends though we had to wake up early the next day.. and I can go on and on! The best part was when my friends pulled me along to dance around the camp fire. Initially I hesitated as I usually don’t dance. But then I decided to let go of my inhibitions and dance! There was none to judge me for making a wrong move, no voices to tell me I am wrong. All that I could see around me were the smiling faces of my friends! We all danced- the shy ones, the nerdy ones, the lazy ones!

The breathtaking view from the top of the hills, made me realize that the climb may be difficult but if we persist, there will be something good coming out of it. The crazy jokes, the impromptu compositions dedicated to fellow classmates, the antakshari sessions took my mind away from all that was troubling me! I felt better.

When I returned home after the trip, I was back to my cheerful self! Mom was glad to see me happy. And I owed it to my dear friends who helped me feel better! As soon as I returned from the trip I got the news that I wasn’t going for the internship. But I didn’t feel sad about as I looked at the positive side of it. I would get to stay at home longer and I would get more time to spend with my friends. It felt good not to feel low about the setbacks but to look at the brighter side of it.
It is another story that destiny had something else in store for me and I got the internship. But then the tour was the best thing that could have happened to me. My friends helped me get back to cheerful self! It is often in difficult times that you get to know who your real friends are and I realized this in the two wonderful days that I spent with my classmates!

Thank you dear friends for those wonderful moments that we shared together. Time passes by but memories such as these last a lifetime. Thanks for making me a better me 🙂