| This is the 69th story of Our Life Logs |
I was born and raised in India with two elder sisters and wonderful parents. I had an easy upbringing. My father was a school teacher, and my mother a housewife. Our family was close-knit, and we all supported each other. I felt especially close with my mother and middle sister, both of whom I’d share everything of my personal life with. As the youngest, I was daring and able to get away with things my sisters couldn’t, which shaped my personality as I grew up.
I was a naughty little girl, working my way around the rules. I was always found with dirty shoes or ripped clothes, so I was often scolded, but I didn’t care. I liked to have fun and joke around. When I had nothing more enjoyable to do, I’d get into mischief. One day when I was five, my mom had gone to the market and left me alone in the house as my sisters were both at school. With no one to play with me, I got bored waiting for her return, so I created my own entertainment. It was so quiet in the house. I wanted some noise, so I started breaking all the cutlery and glasses just to hear the sound of them breaking. It was like a fun, little song I was creating as I destroyed them. When my mother came to see the aftermath, she was in shock. The house was so messy, and all the expensive cutlery was destroyed. My mother had to buy a whole new cutlery set. I was rightfully punished for my mischief that day.
I think most of my strong personality traits came from my maternal grandfather. He was my role model, and we were very close. Early on, I had a passion for acting and dancing. My parents didn’t support my dreams of pursuing these passions, but my grandfather did. He told me that I should do what I want if it brings me happiness as long as it isn’t morally wrong. Through him, I learned to face my problems in a brave manner and to try to be happy despite the situation. If a person is happy and attempts to make others happy, the world will be a better place. I believe in that and have always done that.
When I was 14, my grandfather passed away. I was devastated. It was the saddest moment of my life. My grandfather was the one to take care of me when my parents were busy. He was more than a grandparent—he was my friend. His strong, cheerful character had a fundamental impact on me. I followed all his advice. Like him, I liked to spread happiness through jokes. I refused to shy away from my problems. I fearlessly challenged people if I believed they were wrong.
My naughty tendencies and bold personality didn’t waver at school, either. I liked playing pranks on my classmates. I didn’t scare easy or let people intimidate me. I also wasn’t afraid to tell my teachers when I thought they were mistaken. I was living in my own way, following all my instincts. I never gave too much thought before I took my actions. I essentially just did and said what my heart asked me to, regardless of how other people felt. While some would call my personality “brave,” others saw it as silly and disrespectful. I didn’t care though. I was happy doing what I wanted. That changed when I met Aman in high school.
Aman and I met when I was 16, and we quickly became close friends after he approached me one day at school. As a person that liked to joke around and be social, I was well-known among my schoolmates. He had heard of me and was intrigued to learn more. As time went by, he became my best friend.
Aman was different from my other friends. He, like my mother, would scold me when I did impolite things, but in a loving, friendly way. He showed me how to be a professional person when it’s necessary. Through him, I came to see that my personality wasn’t meant to fit in all settings. I saw that while my grandpa asked me to do what makes me happy, I still had to be respectful. I had forgotten the second part of what he said. I could do things that I wanted, but not wrong things. I had to know the right times to reel in my strong personality depending on the situation.
I started developing romantic feelings for Aman as our friendship grew. He had helped me so much that I had fallen for him. Despite my bold personality, I was afraid to tell him of my true feelings. To mask them, I started being acting mad whenever he was around. He didn’t seem to care about my personality change. Maybe he thought I was in the process of maturing by taking his advice.
During summer vacation the next year, I attended a birthday party for Aman. He told me not to get him a gift, but as I was in love with him, I couldn’t resist. He was surprised by my gift, but didn’t express a thank you. Instead, he professed his love for me in front of all our family and friends. I was shocked. I thought he must be joking, but he insisted that he loved me and he was in his right mind. We had both liked each other but hadn’t said anything for a year. The rest, as they say, is history. Aman and I have been together ever since.
If I wasn’t so sure of who I was by the time I met Aman, I don’t think I would have made the choice on my own to change. Thanks to my grandfather, I learned early on to be happy with myself. Though it was Aman who showed me that there’s always space for a person to grow and be better. People are always changing, and he was the catalyst to speed up my growth. I enjoyed joking around and being crazy, and Aman made me see that there was a time and place to be that way. I was thankful that he came into my life, because he changed me for the better. He helped me see the kind of person I am and who I aspire to be.
Despite the shifts in personality, I have never stopped spreading happiness like my grandfather taught me. Happiness is an unlimited source that is meant to be shared.
This is the story of Prachi Rawat
Prachi lives in India where she is currenlty in college studying Information Technology. After the death of her grandfather, Prachi tried to live by his lessons but got carried away. With the help of her true love, she found a way to balance her personality and make changes to grow as a person. Though IT wasn’t her first choice, she has an interest in the field. She hopes to continue pursuing her acting and dancing dreams on the side. She is happy to have found love in her best friend. She advises others to be who they want to be but also allow change when it makes you a better, well-rounded person.
This story first touched our hearts on April 18th, 2018.
| Writer: Kristen Petronio | Editor: Manqing Jin |
