Dear Gy,

I’ve been meaning to talk to you about some of the things that you will do tomorrow. 

These tomorrows will not come all at once nor will they come one after another. Some of them will creep up on you slowly, like the first rays of a gorgeous sunrise. Others  will smack you between the eyes with the suddenness of a disoriented bat in the daytime.

Tomorrow you will. . .
. . .laugh till your sides hurt and tears stream down your cheeks,
be hurt by a friend who chooses another person to sit by at lunch time,
watch a bird take flight and wonder at how such tiny wings can support its body,
cry when a favourite pet of yours dies and leaves for that unknown space in Heaven and
float lazily on your back in a gorgeous pool and look up at the bluest piece of sky.




Tomorrow, you will. . .
. . .make memories with a new love under the starry evening sky,
watch the sun set on one of the darkest days to ever touch this earth,
take a picture of the tallest building in the world and marvel at the sight,
hug yourself to sleep, fuming at the injustice of parents who won’t let you smoke,
and run carefree down an unknown path that leads to the land of nowhere.


Tomorrow, you will. . .
. . . watch mesmerised as raindrops form beautiful patterns on the window pane,
glare mutinously at teachers who ask you not to pass notes in class,
giggle helplessly with girlfriends as they share stories of their first crush,
hug your mom and sob your heart out when your heart is broken
and gaze at the beauty of a flower that stands out from the sea of green around it.



Tomorrow, you will. . .
. . . make mistakes in your first ever examination at school,
cry helplessly when your friends do better than you at an event,
burn with jealousy when someone is picked ahead of you,
feel the anger fall away as you see the goodness of their hearts
and also realise that this is all part of growing older.

Tomorrow, you will. . .
. . . find joy in the best of friends who never let you down,
be stunned by the cruelty of people whom you considered close,
turn to pour your heart out to your closest confidante,
weep inconsolably when your character is maligned by your enemies
and look to the future when all of it will grow softer with age.


These aren’t all of your tomorrows or even a measurable fraction of them.

But all of them will leave their mark on you. They may be heartrending, touching, splendid, hollow, powerful, profound and fleeting, but you will remember them all. A few will fade into oblivion but never really disappear, not from that corner of your soul where memories live forever. 

On a dark day when you need a happy thought, your being will reach deep into that recess and fish out that one beautiful moment which made it all worthwhile. On a day when you feel overwhelmed by pride and superiority, a gentle nudge from a humbling memory will bring you back to earth, sometimes with a thud and other times like a graceful albatross after a tiring flight.

Don’t shut them out, these tomorrows. Savour them and spend them with gratitude every single time. For when you have nobody else to console you, lift your spirits or make you feel better, your tomorrows will come to your rescue and make the future a beautiful place to be.

With love from a person who is so full of gratitude for you in her life,

Amma