Knowingly or unknowingly, our life is greatly influenced by
the people we choose to be associated with. It affects our emotional state, our
self confidence and also our intellect. And then comes the attention we choose
to give them. The more responsive and affectionate we are to someone, the more
they are likely to feel connected to us. But sometimes we fail to acknowledge
those who really are close to our heart, maybe because we do not find enough
words for the kind of special that they are. Maybe when they are present we
feel comfortable even in silence, or we don’t feel it necessary to keep a
conversation alive. We might not notice their presence but their absence
affects. I like to call such people the salt in our lives.
As we all know, salt is what makes food taste so good. It is
what enhances the various flavours, makes the spices show their true form. But
when there is no salt, all we taste is blandness – no flavour, no
excitement...the food is everything but enjoyable. Similarly when the
metaphorical salt is away from us, we feel incomplete. It is the magic in their
presence which makes everything seem normal and pleasant.
Such a person in my life is one of my cousins. We were born
five months apart, and have grown up together. I have no siblings but he never
lets me feel so. We stayed in different cities but we used to visit each other
during every vacation that we got. Last year he came to stay with my family in
order to study his last two years of school life. But every moment that he can
since the day he came, he tries to make me laugh, even if it means making a
fool out of himself. Such is my cousin – playful and mature, hardworking and
humorous. So many of my happy childhood memories are with him that I wonder how
come he isn’t my real brother. All those little things that we did as kids that
got us into trouble – cutting his hair to make him almost bald, fighting with
each other, climbing the tree at my granny’s home – the list is endless. But it
was after he started to live with us that his absence started to affect me.
There are a lot of things to do when it comes to looking after
me ever since my injury - two years ago. My cousin seemed to be a boon to my
mother when he came here. He helped with my busy schedule of physiotherapy by
keeping everything that I needed ready at the right time. He reminded me to
take my medicines on time, came to help me at my every beck and call without
getting tired. He still does all of this with a huge smile on his face, and
never leaves an opportunity to tease me and keep me happy. So here is a small
message to the salt in my life on his birthday– all I can ever do to repay you
is to be by your side all my life, and I promise I will be right here. Happy
birthday!
