One day you shall wither away

Keeping my face on the window pane, my mind was busy looking into the garden just outside my room. Spring has arrived, the flowers have started to bloom. How strange, just as a lucky time of life, you shall bloom like never. The petals started embracing the stalk because it was that time, time of celebration, a good time for the flower. The flower looked extremely attractive with the stalk being surrounded by the petals. Everyday I enjoyed this newness in the flower, as if it was happy being accompanied with his new friends i.e petals. I felt happy for it too.

It’s been two weeks now, slowly the petals are falling down as if they had an argument to not stay there. The petals are falling slowly one by one. The stalk looks struggling to bring them into place but all in vain. Slowly the flower started withering, the stalk remained helpless, worried. It has lost its beauty, No wonder it is tired. Invested lot of time and energy again and again to be with them. It wanted to feel like a child in joy. The child in it was escaping. Why was it so guilty of not being, ‘’where and what it should be?” 

As I saw greyness in the flower, I started reciprocating it in my moods. My grandpa was quite a good observant I must say. He confronted my behaviour. I expressed my emotions. He said, ‘’It’s the fate of our life. As we grow old, we miss every single person like the falling of petals, we need to let them go. They were just a part of life for memories not for a lifetime. What matters is your strength to withhold the endurance of extreme temperatures unlike the petals that might look beautiful but leaves you when situation is tough leaving the ugly lonely side of yours. Once these petals fall off that’s the time to create new environment even better for other new petals to grow. Basically you might think that the stalk looks beautiful with petals but you are wrong, the roots of values complements the beauty. You should always nurture your self growth, your root. And the process of leaving is constant, what remains is you and your root keeping you grounded.’’

The petals were naked and proud despite their scars. Yes they were incomplete with themselves. Love makes them complete, they have so much to give for love, to feel loved. It lost its petals that beautified her but it had to find happiness in its life. Eventually, it is entering new chapters of rest, reflection and self healing. Death is not the greatest loss in life but when life within you dies even when you are alive, what worst could happen.

I asked my grandfather, ‘’What is of our own?’’

He replied, ‘’Time.’’

I added, ‘’Why is it so?’’

He smiled in reply and said, ‘’ When time is right, everything and everyone is of yours but when time is not right, nobody shall be yours.

‘’A crowd might give you encouragement but it overshadows and ultimately disappears your identity.’’, then he placed his gentle fingers on my hair.