North Goa's Ashwem Beach is serene. Perhaps one of the rare places where the stretch of land is more soothing and peaceful to the eye than the vast Arabian sea, calmly swallowing the sun.
When I was 10 years old, I visited Ashwem with my family. As a 10 year old, I was happy and peaceful, spending time with the people I love. Now, a little over a decade later, as I sit in the water, looking back at my core memory from that trip, I am reflecting on my mental and spiritual growth.
Sure, the people I love have changed and evolved and our relationships with each other has gone through ups and downs and ups again. Although they are not here with me, I carry them in my heart and think of them when I feel calm and peaceful.
As a family, we have given each other considerable freedom and space to grow. Looking back at the time that has passed, my love and appreciation for life and for human relationships has grown because of this. A lot of things that caused me trouble, like the expectations that society gives us regarding families, friends, and romantic relationships, and the imposition of ideas of proper behaviour of people in familial roles, have now been resolved in my head.
Despite systemic ideas, we humans are all merely wandering souls, nuts and bolts in this universe - each having our own space, our own roles, navigating through a vastly complicated journey called life, not without our fair share of highs and lows. We might not be at the same place right now, spending time together, but I still feel the love.
