An Old Friend
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This place, the lake I’ve observed its growth. It expanded into this significant commercial area in front of me. There was a time when I could see the lake from the terrace of my house. I remember coming here as a child with nothing but trees surrounding us. My parents used to bring me here for evening walks, and I would sit on this specific boulder while they visited a nearby temple. It was an ideal spot — my feet touched the water, and my pants remained dry. Back then, I didn’t ponder much because I was unaware of what the future held. A few years later, when I was old enough to gauge the changes around me, I realized that the rocks had disappeared, the temple was no more (not that I cared about it), and extensive construction was underway, preventing me from dipping my feet into the water. It’s strange how one never notices or cares about the everyday minor alterations, but suddenly, after a long time has passed, everything is different and new. It feels like it was never there, even though you witnessed its growth with your own eyes. The small changes you overlook suddenly accumulate, resulting in something unfamiliar to you.
I have countless memories with and around that lake — I’ve visited it during various stages of its growth and it has seen me through different stages of my life, accompanying different individuals, experiencing different emotions. I’ve been there with my school friends, boyfriends, college friends — each time with a different sentiment. It is symbolic how as the structures around the lake changed, so did the people around me, but the only constants were that serene water and myself. It’s as if the lake is trying to stay put, just like me, amidst the increasing chaos. Over the past few weeks, the only thing on my mind, bothering me is that nothing is changing in my life; I’m still here, doing the same things I’ve been doing for years. It bothers me that everyone except me is progressing in life. However, two days ago, when I again visited the lake alone, it felt like meeting an old friend — everyone else had moved on, but we remained. I can’t quite put a name to what I felt, but it wasn’t negative, just very ordinary. And that night, when I went to my terrace for a smoke and noticed that I could no longer see the lake from there, it made me realize that my life is also changing. I’m standing on the same terrace, but I now have a different perspective, and other things will change too, slowly but surely. It will never be the same as it was, but I should accept its pace, just as the lake did because it still appears as serene and peaceful as it did many years ago.
