Never seen-THIRTEEEEEEN

As I look back, I finally realize I've grown as a person. I've left parts of me behind. I've become a lot less judgmental in the past year. I've started appreciating the good things in life and I've started counting my blessings. This time, last year things were bloody different. I was close to so many people I'm not even in touch now, and trust me, it feels so weird. I'm not saying that it was all their fault, because it was not. I just don't know what happened..we drifted apart. There was nothing much I could do to help it, either. The good part, however, is that I came to know who are the people who've been true to me, not only on my face, but also behind my back. Let's get real, people, everybody is bitched about, no matter what you do, you will be judged, but you know what? It's entirely your choice how you take it, you either let the people bring you down or, you just don't care and smile and live life like everything is perfect. I chose the latter, I did. What is the point in being sad about comments made by people who don't even matter? Whatever mistakes I made in the past, I regret nothing. Absolutely nothing. They helped me grow. I've realized it's okay to be weak sometimes. It's okay to cry. It's okay to be low. But, in the process, we must not forget how to be happy. We must not forget there's much more to life than one person. We must cherish I chose to be happy with the people around me. I chose to stop finding faults. I chose to love. I chose to smile. I chose to live.

Here is to new beginnings,

to happiness,

to love,

Here's to twelve beautiful trips around the sun

Here's to my thirteenth trip.

Happy thirteenth to me :D

Back to life

Today I saw this girl. She must have been around 7 years old. She wore a pink GAP sweatshirt and jeans, her beautiful hair tidily tied up in a ponytail. Her high-cheekbones, fair colour complimented her. Her eyes shone so brightly, they screamed innocence. I couldn't help but smile at her. Thousand dreams were reflected in her glistening eyes. Hundred aspirations. She was so full of life. She played around the store, picking up the footballs and tapping them, and calling out for her mother who was shopping somewhere around. She looked happy, but more importantly, she looked content. She was happy with what she had, unlike most of us, obviously. She wasn't inquisitive like I am. She knew all the answers she needed to know. That girl loved colors, I could see. I could see how she would get fascinated by the smallest things. That girl didn't care what people thought of her. She paid no heed to what she heard because she was so busy in her own little world. She was very unlike me. I have always been an inquisitive child, always wanting to know more, sometimes, even more than I needed to. If someone wouldn't tell me something, I'd somehow manage to dig out what I wanted to know. I was never ever in my life content with what I knew. The hunger to know more and more kept increasing day by day. My eyes reflected only the need to know more and more, and a little more.

But maybe, those inquisitive eyes DID reflect dreams, hopes, and aspirations. Maybe, just maybe, everybody, along with me, failed to see it then.

But then, today I did. I realized something I should have realized quite some time back.

..somewhere deep down, in those eyes of that little girl, I saw me. I saw the girl who loved to dream, and believe. I saw the girl who was content, but somewhere I knew, that little girl in me had died.

And, I'm trying to bring her back. Bring her back to life.