TIME

I seldom wonder about time and how it has always been so harsh on me, about how time changes a thing of joy in the past to that of sorrow in the future, about how at certain point, it would first take away my pain only to return so much more.

We've all been played in the hands of time. Time has an amazing way of sneaking up on our lives just when we think everything's going fine. Just when things start making sense to us, time interrupts us and gives us its own verdict.

They say time changes everything and everyone. There are many of us who are racing against time just to save some of ourselves and probably, some of our time. But I, in particular, have always, always lost to time. It has been the masterpiece of my life.

Now when I look back in time, I wonder how I lost my innocence, my dreams, my pleasures, my love to it. Time ruined it all and changed me to the core of my heart.

There is responsibility.

There is conflict.

There is fear.

There are questions unanswered.

There are worries, complexities, uncertainties.

And then, there is time…

So one such evening, I decided to give up. As I sat by my window side, staring at the dark sky wondering why is it so that the beauty of the brightness of stars can be fathomed only against the darkness of the sky. I let a tear trickle down my cheek and wondered, what is that one thing that would stand tall against all atrocities of time, that one thing that time will never ever be able to steal from me??

I was lost in deep thoughts trying to understand the malleability of time, listening to the silence of the night under the limitless sky and twinkling stars, when the ring of my cellphone jolted me back to life. Reluctantly I answered it. It was a call from emergency and I had to rush to the hospital.

In almost a time, I forgot all else. A life is so much more than any amount of loss or pain. I reached the hospital and attended to the patient. Once things were under control and patient was doing fine, I returned back to my hostel with a smile on my face.

When I entered my room, I just fell on my couch too tired to lift myself up and dozed off. What happened next, was either a dream or a hallucination of a tired mind, but here's what I shall always remember it as henceforth. I had an actual conversation with time and here is what it said:

"Dear One,

I hope you got my answer. It's you and only you who would always stand tall against me. I'll never ever be able to steal you from you.

Innocence is always lost either to wisdom or arrogance. I took away your innocence.

Your actions, now, will determine which one you gained from it.

Love is always lost to patience and what on Earth can love alone achieve? Love makes you vulnerable.

A patient mind can, however, achieve whatever it conceives. Patience alone can teach you perseverance which is a matter of attitude in life.

You ought to break some rules when you are playing, bound to make mistakes. You will be ridiculed by some, wronged by others, judged more often than not, criticized often and applauded seldom; by people sitting within their boundaries. But then you know so much more than these people. Your mistakes not only give you an insight, but also help you examine your life.

You were wasting me on so many insignificant things in life. I hope you, now, remember what your father told you when you were 15."

As I awoke the next day to an exceptionally bright Sun and blithe birds with a soft smile playing at my lips, I realized that there was something monumentally different about this day. I didn’t have to strain my memory too hard to remember what my father had said when I was 15:

"Daughter,

Time will teach you everything that you refuse to learn otherwise. What I wish to teach you today, someday you'll hold them as morals of your life. I hope its not too late by then."

I found myself reaching for my phone and doing something corny. I called my father and said, "I hope its not too late".

As I put on my watch and stepped out, Time was with me again and this time around…I have a lot more faith!