So a little bit about me, I've recently started a social media campaign to spread awareness about mental health conditions such as depression. It started on 1st January 2018 and has been doing decently well. It's always been my dream to do something for the world and this cause was literally the need of the hour in my country.
My website launch date was supposed to be somewhere around Mid Feb. At least, so i thought.
God however, had some other plans for me.

On 6th February 2018, I heard about the news of one of my best friend (Adi's) death due to a heart attack. I was in shock, he was 27, fit and extremely health conscious and positive.
I had never seen a heart attack before, so kept wondering about the pain he must have felt. When I was home after working hours, I kept myself isolated in the room, crying alone. Didn't interact much with anyone at home including my Nani (grandmother). On Saturday night (10th February, 2017) my family decided to go for a movie in the theatre right next door, to uplift my mood. As soon as we entered the theatre, my Nani started to feel breathless and before we knew it, she got a heart attack and despite all the medical treatments and support, passed away the next day 11th February 2017.

I wondered if continuing with 'Mind And Me' (the social media campaign) makes sense at all. I was so excited for Nani to be there for my website launch. I never showed her my preparations because I wanted her to feel proud of me after seeing the final product. I wanted it to be a surprise for her. She had tried to invest in the campaign. And my friend Adi had also tried to help me with the campaign.
I felt a strange kind of rage. What's the point of helping people to handle their emotional pain and grief if God is on this strange testing and revenge mode towards me by subjecting me to the worst shocks one after the other without giving me any time to heal at all.
However, during my Nani's funeral I stared at the Diya (candle) and realized one eternal truth. We're all exactly like these candles who are meant to exist for a while and then just extinguish when the time comes. And that a candle is also used to lighten the lives of others. So, I shouldn't give up on the project since that is my way of doing my duty towards the world of attempting to lighten and brighten several lives.
I am still grieving, crying, in shock. But if I have learnt anything from my gorgeous Nanu who I adored the most and my friend Adi is that...we're all here to live in the moment, do our duties and responsibilities and be happy no matter where we are. That's what they did, so I have to try to do that too and honour them.

I've also learnt that every moment is precious and that we humans sometimes get caught up thinking about our problems, our grief, our pain...and stop thinking about others around us. I still regret not talking to Nani much during the last few days of her life just because I was too 'caught up' with my emotional pain.
So...we gotta stop being selfish, and spend every moment valuing others and spending time with them, investing in each moment completely, cuz you never know when those moments will be lost forever.

Like they say...live every day like it's your last.