Only You Know Your Whole Story

Every year on Makar Sankranti, I post this picture that I clicked back in 2015. I had newly acquired a DSLR camera then (thanks, Baba!) to study photography and was setting such compositions to test. For me, it was one of my most successful compositions. So, as a norm, I posted the picture this year too, and suddenly, it clicked (😜) for me.

My husband had never seen me with my DSLR camera until recently! I was finally reunited with it, as I couldn't bring it here before. We were in a long-distance relationship when I got my camera and learned how to use it. So, it's a bit unnerving to know that he had never experienced this part of me who was so much invested in learning photography. Of course, he knew I had a camera and saw my clicks. It was a big part of my previous blog, as I used to click many pictures for it.

Then I wondered, how many chapters have I missed from his life? What was he like before I knew him? I also remember having similar questions regarding my parents. What were they like before they had me? Or before they got married? Other family members or even the people who come and go in your life as friends, colleagues, teachers, and acquaintances see just a few phases of your life. It's just you who sees and experiences the whole picture.

This single realization helped me so much in my self-love journey. It pushed me to see the beauty of my story and the fact that I'm the only person with a front-row seat to witness it all. How beautiful is that? There's something precious about owning different phases of one's life. And I know it can be so tough to do sometimes. Through this, I learned that it's important to give yourself some grace in whichever phase you're in.

My perspective on relationships and meets has also changed. Now, I am just grateful to experience and be a part of someone's life. It also enabled me to consume social media more consciously. As I scroll, I keep in mind that it's just a small part of the whole story that any person wishes to show me. So, I don't feel the comparison or FOMO that social media generally induces.

This understanding has inspired me to tell my stories and share my experiences more expressively through the content I produce. Finally, I want to say thank you to whoever reads this for making me part of your life story!

Love,

Rashmi B.

PS. Note to self: I really need to get back to relearning my camera and start clicking some compositions again.