Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Change is constant

On days when I have free time on hand and nothing else to do, I tend to sit back and introspect. And off late, the one thing that I seem to think about a lot is change. Change in me, change in the people around me, change in the places I have lived in. For someone who found it very difficult to adapt to change, I seem to have taken all the aforementioned changes in my stride quite well I might add. Some of it went completely unnoticed by me and only when someone else pointed it out did I realize that there was something different after all.

People who have known me for a long time can vouch for that fact that I have mellowed down considerably.You see, I used to be this fire cracker, always ready to explode. I got into a lot of trouble for saying the wrong things at the wrong times but I could not care less. There were certain things that I just could not tolerate and I made it very abundantly clear to everyone around me. I was stubborn and my thinking was very radical and in essence, different from everyone else. I dated a guy 2 years younger than I was and could not comprehend what the fuss was all about. If I didn't like someone, I made it plenty obvious to them since diplomacy was something I totally lacked.

I don't know what it was that brought about the change and whether it was gradual or sudden, but I do know that I am a much milder version of my former self. Somewhere during the process of "growing up", without my knowledge, I became more tolerant and less stubborn. I still suck at diplomacy but I have learned to not say anything at all rather than say the wrong thing. But I still have very strong views about certain things and do not hesitate to express said views. But I find it hard to express strong emotions such as anger or frustration or even affection for that matter. And the part that saddens me the most is that I am unable to coherently put down my thoughts even on paper because that was something I could do very well. I could write about anything and talk about anything and always managed to convey my point very clearly across to the other person. But as the years flew by, I no longer felt the need to be verbose. I didn't quite feel the urge to try and explain everything that is in my head to the other person and make myself heard no matter what.

I took to blogging because I felt a strong need to go back to being the kind of person I was which is the more expressive and articulate version of myself. But so many times when I was overcome by very strong emotions, I found myself searching for words to express what was going through my mind. And this just made me feel sad since I never ever had such an issue before. Words came very easily to me. Thoughts came very easily to me. Opinions came very easily to me. In a way all of that still holds good. Its just that I no longer feel the need to express it as much. Of course, when it comes to a handful of people who are very close to me like the husband and my best friends and parents to an extent, none of the above holds good. To them,I am pretty much the same person I used to be and thank god for that liberty.

So basically some of the changes have been good and some well, not so good.I, like everyone else, gave in to the diktats of nature. I adapted. I "grew up". I became more mature. All very natural processes that everyone goes through at some point in their lives. But the point of this rather unwieldy rant is that I am still unable to decide what I like more ; if an old friend commented on how I just haven't changed or if the said friend commented on how he/she cannot believe how much I have changed and it almost seems like I am a different person altogether.

9 comments:

DewdropDream said...

My god! You've talked about me in talking about yourself here!!!

Anonymous said...

:)

as they say...change is the only constant!

Mama - Mia said...

oh well! as long as you are comfortable being what you are today, thats all that matters!

and while we get an ability to don more masks as we "grow" up, i doubt the inner person in us changes! nahi?!

which is why you still can be all that you always were with people who matter to you!

cheers!

abha

Unknown said...

were you talking about me, perhaps? i feel the same way. change is good, and it would be odd if we did not change over time. certain core or intrinsic personality traits generally tend to remain and that's what people who have known you for a while identify you with. in that sense, you are probably still the same.

Anonymous said...

I believe what we are today is a sum of our experiences, and as new ones are added, our personality assimilates it.

Like Mama-Mia says, as long as we don't feel we are putting up a "forced" front, thats what matters the most!

Sujatha Bagal said...

How we appear to other people (changed, unchanged) also depends on their perspective - whether they view us differently because of the experiences they've gone through. Right? What do you think? In my view, change is not a bad thing. If I remained the same as I was when I was 18, I'd not be happy, I'm sure.

I love Lucy said...

@Dewdrop : Really? :)

@Chandi : Yup!

@Abha : Thats true. In my case, I am comfortable being who I am today but its just that at times I miss the feisty old me especially when I have to deal with people giving me lot of attitude!

@Anjali : I am glad that my core values and characteristics remain intact. But then there are times when I feel that I have become too mellow, I miss that fire in my belly :) Or maybe that was just my "youth" talking?! Geez!

@Cluelessness : But it is very hard to not put up a front because it is seldom possible to do or say what you want.I cannot be brazen and brash with say my colleagues or in-laws as much as I would like to. Certain situations demand restraint and diplomacy and when these qualities are not inherent like in my case, one end's up putting up a front.

@Sujatha : After so long! Henge idhira?! :)
And yes, I agree with you there about how people's perception of you as a person does play a role.
My husband and I were classmates in high school and he still maintains that I was as obnoxious and high-browed as they came and I maintain that he was a pest and thought no end of himself! And yet, we fell in love years later and got married as well! So yes, good change is always welcome!

Sujatha Bagal said...

ILL (OK, I know I have to find a better handle than this. Any ideas?), naanu chennagiddeeni. Neevu henge iddira? :)
If you don't mind, pls to call me "neenu". Deal?

I love Lucy said...

Sujatha : Ok, deal :) So nice to hear from you after so long!