Dear O,
I wanted to write this letter to you months before but couldn't find the-- to hell with the excuses. Today I finally found the courage to put pen to paper.
At first I wouldn't have chosen to mention your name openly here. But then I put you first, before this letter. I decided this letter should bear your complete name, declaring to the world out loud, 'O is this friend. O is the one this letter is about' and there was absolutely nothing I did not want to tell the world about you. I want this letter to be like you- brave, sincere, unafraid.
A part of this letter will be a product of sheer selfishness but I hope you don't blame me. It is because you have enriched my life to this extent that I am compelled to speak about you, on you, to you.
You bring joy. You bring hope. I don't think I have known anyone as extraordinary as you, ever: Someone who is as frank about the vulnerabilities that come with being human, as she is ready to enjoy the moments of happiness. Most importantly, someone who is as unassuming and brave in the face of the consequences of those vulnerabilities, as she is in the face of all the good our lives have to offer.
When we receive good news, it is natural for us to want to tell it to possibly everyone we know, flash it on every public platform and tell the whole world. I think you have come to occupy this important place in my life because you are there in the tough times with me as much as you there in the good ones. In speaking to you, I find the strength to show the wounds, share the bad news, the little complaints we bring with us more often than the good news, the guilt, the gray areas we are afraid to confess for the fear of being labelled as the vile ones. I find it because I know you will know the meaning behind every word I say. I find this strength because I see you face the same and deal with the same with the spirit of a hero and the smile of a princess. The winner's smile. The winning smile.
I am often forced to compare the people in my life to some image, create some metaphor or symbol, a place for them in my mind. O, when I think of you I don't see any image other than a strong, bright, shining light. Not the kind that's too strong too look at, or makes the eyes water. It's the kind that calms the eyes, gives a sense of complacence to the mind and sends warmth to the heart. I will not attempt to paint a perfect picture of you. You are full of flaws. But I never want you to be without them. If you ever were, this light would lose it's warmth. Don't you see, you are perfect because you are flawed? You are flawed and you completely fit my definition of perfection.
O, you make me want to be brave. You make me want to laugh at things I seethed at before. You made me see things I have never seen. You made me see that to carry on, we must be able to laugh, at a time in my life that had very little room for humour. Most importantly, you made me realise, that to laugh is to hope. You made me realise laughter is the greatest form of generosity- a means of only giving, sharing and never taking away from another, a means of forgiving, of moving on and in return gifting to your own self a piece of the happiness we all so desire.
It's funny how so far in this letter I haven't felt the need to mention once how we have never met face-to-face; how we have never physically met but talk to each other as if we have known each other for years on end. I think remaining friends with you is a lesson in the power of words. Just words. Isn't it only words and our voices that got us this far? With someone like you, words can never be a handicap. I think on your birthday, this letter full of words is only apt as a testament to the power of words in our friendship
O, in my opinion, this freedom, this ease and trust is the greatest gift any human being can give to another. It is the gift you have given to me. So even though on this birthday I would prefer to give you something more tangible(because yes as much as people matter, material matters to our existence too and does hold a considerable value), I hope some day I can give back something to you that is equal in worth to what you have given to me. I hope someday I can be to you what you have been to so many.
My warmest wishes, selfless and sincerest thoughts with you always, no matter what part of the world you are in, or how many years later you read this.
(I would totally catch a plane to Lahore right now.)
Happy Birthday!
From
Cocoa.
I wanted to write this letter to you months before but couldn't find the-- to hell with the excuses. Today I finally found the courage to put pen to paper.
At first I wouldn't have chosen to mention your name openly here. But then I put you first, before this letter. I decided this letter should bear your complete name, declaring to the world out loud, 'O is this friend. O is the one this letter is about' and there was absolutely nothing I did not want to tell the world about you. I want this letter to be like you- brave, sincere, unafraid.
A part of this letter will be a product of sheer selfishness but I hope you don't blame me. It is because you have enriched my life to this extent that I am compelled to speak about you, on you, to you.
You bring joy. You bring hope. I don't think I have known anyone as extraordinary as you, ever: Someone who is as frank about the vulnerabilities that come with being human, as she is ready to enjoy the moments of happiness. Most importantly, someone who is as unassuming and brave in the face of the consequences of those vulnerabilities, as she is in the face of all the good our lives have to offer.
When we receive good news, it is natural for us to want to tell it to possibly everyone we know, flash it on every public platform and tell the whole world. I think you have come to occupy this important place in my life because you are there in the tough times with me as much as you there in the good ones. In speaking to you, I find the strength to show the wounds, share the bad news, the little complaints we bring with us more often than the good news, the guilt, the gray areas we are afraid to confess for the fear of being labelled as the vile ones. I find it because I know you will know the meaning behind every word I say. I find this strength because I see you face the same and deal with the same with the spirit of a hero and the smile of a princess. The winner's smile. The winning smile.
I am often forced to compare the people in my life to some image, create some metaphor or symbol, a place for them in my mind. O, when I think of you I don't see any image other than a strong, bright, shining light. Not the kind that's too strong too look at, or makes the eyes water. It's the kind that calms the eyes, gives a sense of complacence to the mind and sends warmth to the heart. I will not attempt to paint a perfect picture of you. You are full of flaws. But I never want you to be without them. If you ever were, this light would lose it's warmth. Don't you see, you are perfect because you are flawed? You are flawed and you completely fit my definition of perfection.
O, you make me want to be brave. You make me want to laugh at things I seethed at before. You made me see things I have never seen. You made me see that to carry on, we must be able to laugh, at a time in my life that had very little room for humour. Most importantly, you made me realise, that to laugh is to hope. You made me realise laughter is the greatest form of generosity- a means of only giving, sharing and never taking away from another, a means of forgiving, of moving on and in return gifting to your own self a piece of the happiness we all so desire.
It's funny how so far in this letter I haven't felt the need to mention once how we have never met face-to-face; how we have never physically met but talk to each other as if we have known each other for years on end. I think remaining friends with you is a lesson in the power of words. Just words. Isn't it only words and our voices that got us this far? With someone like you, words can never be a handicap. I think on your birthday, this letter full of words is only apt as a testament to the power of words in our friendship
O, in my opinion, this freedom, this ease and trust is the greatest gift any human being can give to another. It is the gift you have given to me. So even though on this birthday I would prefer to give you something more tangible(because yes as much as people matter, material matters to our existence too and does hold a considerable value), I hope some day I can give back something to you that is equal in worth to what you have given to me. I hope someday I can be to you what you have been to so many.
My warmest wishes, selfless and sincerest thoughts with you always, no matter what part of the world you are in, or how many years later you read this.
(I would totally catch a plane to Lahore right now.)
Happy Birthday!
From
Cocoa.
No comments:
Post a Comment