Hiii,
I recently turned 21 a couple of months back, and I feel old enough to share some advice. In the 21 years of my existence, I've made mistakes, achieved some good things, and experienced moments of regret and pride. After all, these experiences contribute to my ‘character development.’ I've done a lot of weird, crazy, and adventurous things—many of which are buried in the back of my mind and resurface on rainy days. They make me very proud, because little Sansu could never have imagined doing them. Here are some things I’ve learnt along the way, and I hope you never have to go through what I did.
1. Shame is a myth. If you don’t feel embarrassed, no one else does.
2. Exercising will always make you feel better afterwards.
3. Find your go-to main character club song. The one where you know every step and feel like SRK in Chaiyya Chaiyya. Mine is Balam Pichkari from YJHD.
4. Sex, boys, and alcohol are overrated but fun once in a while. Just try not to overdo it.
5. It’s okay to make mistakes while figuring life out. It’s your first time living it.
6. Go easy on your parents when they make mistakes. It’s their first life too.
7. Crying can solve 90% of your situations.
8. Spend more time with your family. They have been always there, be there for them too.
9. Dance to that song no matter how drunk you are, no matter who’s watching.In the end, it’s always worth it. Always.
10. Spend money on concerts, travels, and parties. That purse or those kicks can wait.
11. It’s good to sometimes ask yourself, “Are you okay?”
12. It’s okay to unknowingly stumble into love, get back up again, and fall in love again. ‘It is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.’
13. Exam results do matter and people judge you for it.
14. It’s college!!! & It’s just college!!! These conflicting emotions will be felt at various stages in different degrees of intensities, but that is okay. That’s college.
15. Preparing for a fest is more fun than the fest itself.
16. Listening to Ganpati Aartis in the morning will always energise and soothe you at the same time.
17. Sad Urdu poetry will always bring your heart peace and a little longing.
18. Watching ZNMD once every 3 months will make you feel better.
19. Take that chance, swipe right. You might just find someone amazing.
Sleep as much as you can during school and college and skip it once a while. Yeh waqt wapas nahi milega.
21. Don’t overthink so much. (I’m still struggling with this one.)
I'll be back next year with more lessons I've learnt. I hope my little advice helps you make better decisions than I did. Cheers!
Signing off,
Sansu <3
This is such a nuanced outlook to life, still learning how to live! Amazing read
Your experiences are so enlightening. Thanks for sharing