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I Am Made of You, Too

We carry small fragments of the people we meet. Maybe it’s a habit of theirs, the way they say certain words, without even realizing it, we carry them with us. Regardless of whether we stay in touch or part ways, a small part of them remains. Most of the time, we don’t even notice. If I were to look closely at myself to see which parts of me carry them, it would take time. Today, I am taking that time. I am sitting down to write, to remember the people with whom I once shared a common space. I thought of writing a 2025 recap, but I think this is a better way to remember the people who mattered, or simply those who contributed, knowingly or unknowingly, to who I am today. These memories don’t always hold warmth; some come with gut-wrenching pain that I endured this year. And I carried those fragments too, because at the end of the day, they also made me who I am. When I thought about writing a recap, the one thing that kept returning to me was people . The most significant thing I ...
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Threads of Connections (Part 2): Birthday Stories

iIs a birthday a big deal to you?

For me, it always is. Not just mine, but anyone’s. If I love you, your birthday feels like a religious holiday to me, like a day that deserves cakes, candles, and a pause in time just to say, “I am so glad you were born.” That thought alone fills me with joy. I don’t think it’s about being “crazy” over birthdays, but about cherishing the miracle of existence.

What fascinates me is how our ways of wishing have shifted over the years. From letters to phone calls to texts and now, the Instagram story. Each one says something different, but all are rooted in love. Personally, I adore calls and messages, but when I post a story, it means something more. It’s not just a “Happy Birthday” with a picture, it’s my way of letting the world know how grateful I am that you exist. If not for this day, I would never have had the chance to meet you, laugh with you, or love you. And that’s worth sharing.

Okay, I will admit something: whenever I post, I always place a little 🧿 emoji over it first. Cringe? Maybe. Corny? Definitely. But it’s my way of protecting that love from bad energy. People say, “Then why post at all?” But how do I not? How do I stay quiet when my heart wants to shout, “IT'S THEIR BIRTHDAYYYYY”

I have had so many conversations with friends about this. Some say, “If they didn’t post me, I won’t post them.” Others post for everyone, no matter what. And honestly, I love both. It shows how each person has their own love language, how they choose to celebrate others in their own way. Isn’t that beautiful?

I love watching people express their care in little things: making an edit with a favorite song, designing a card, baking a cake, even coding an entire birthday website. I love how as kids, we used to have a packet of chocolates in our hands with that one friend with whom we went from class to class distributing chocolates. I love how you would be cheered, happy birthday in the school assembly with some stationery as gifts (sorry for the ones who are socially awkward). I sometimes wonder if there were to be a higher celestial being, they would probably find this adorable. "Aww, these humans are so cute when it comes to love". Lmao, at least that's what I would think if I were to be one of them. All of it is precious. All of it is love.

At the end of the day, if birthdays don’t feel like a big deal to you, trust me, you need a friend like Komal around. Someone who will get more excited than you ever will.




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