A Place Called Home

by Preeti Shenoy

‘In the sea there are countless treasures, But if you desire safety, it is on the shore.’

Saadi

THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF SECRETS. SOME WE WEAR LIKE an invisible cloak, which we don when we need to be shielded from the judging eyes of society,

Others are the kind that weigh you down like a stone. You bury them deep, deep within you. You carry them around for so long that they become an intrinsic part of you, till you no longer see them as burdens. These kinds of secrets you take with you to the grave. Or at least you intend to.

the problem with a secret is that when it is between two people, you can never have complete control of it. You can only trust the other person ...

Motherhood was great, but it demanded its price, taking a toll on your body.

‘The passage of time changes many things—but mostly it changes our perspective. We think about the unforgivable things that people we loved did to us, and with time, we forgive them. We think that we will never talk to those who wronged us—and there was a time when I thought I’d never again speak to you—but then, we discover the love we felt for them is still there. We think we never want to cross paths with someone again, but when we do, we are glad it happened.

‘A thousand laughing suns are in your eyes. A thousand crying stars in mine.’ —Ahmad Shamloo

But feelings were something that happened to you—it wasn’t something you controlled.

‘Your heart and my heart are very, very old friends.’

we’re the choices we make. We have to face the consequences of our actions.

The passage of time changes many things—but mostly it changes our perspectives.

We think about the unforgivable things that people we loved did to us, and with

time, we forgive them. We think that we will never talk to those who wronged us—and there was a time when I thought I’d never again speak to you—but then, we discover that the love we felt for them is still there. We think we never want to c...