Each day I wake up in the same room at the buzz of an alarm and follow the same usual routine. Sometimes, I get the feeling that I wake up to live the every days the same. And yet each day in itself brings with it an eternity. Well, that is the same thought that many of us feel. When you look back to the days you prized the most, you realize things have changed for the better or the worst. 

Time changes most things. Once you step out of your perfect life, you’ll be burdened by a sense of responsibility. And that can be truly overwhelming. Dreams, emotions, failures, ambitions, future, the list can go on and on. The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain. 

There is a fleeting sense of silence once you realize what lies ahead of you. Sometimes, this silence speaks for itself and you no longer need to explain things to anyone —not even to yourself. I believe that this is what growing up is. Once you realize that you are not the same person who cried over every little thing, you sense the sands of time slipping out of your hands. 

You see, the sands of time are running out. Days, months and years pass just like the sand in an hourglass. So, you are left with nothing but a sense of false existence. As written in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, “At a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what is happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate.” I believe at that point, the sands of time take our away our dreams, and they don’t always return. 

Life is not simply a math equation where you know what you are looking for. There are bound to be failures, unexpected outcomes, tears and regret. Our lives are the same—with stories never foretold and unseen.

I find these moments every time when things do not go the other way around. At that time, the sands of time take us into a deep slumber of our memories— school photographs, prized achievements, first day at college and even unfinished words, awkward silences and last messages—all in a blink of an eye. Each of us creates the life we live and the sands of time pass by even without us realizing it. 

The sands of time can’t be stopped. Years pass even if we forget to be happy. But, we can remember what has been lost and live on in memories. What you will hear is imperfect and fragmented, yet treasure it for it does not exist without you. So, create your own hourglass where you can sense the sands of time and realize life has something yet to be discovered.

Apar is a high-school graduate from St Xavier’s College, Maitighar.