A Thank You Note to the Hands That Helped Me Grow

Recently, I came to the realisation that I am a mosaic of every encounter I’ve had in my life. Each person I have met throughout the years shared a story, a smile, a lesson, and as I write this, I realize how beautiful it is to be built not just by experiences, but by the hands that held me through them. I might not have realised this at the time, but later introspection made me realise that I am a culmination of everyone I have known throughout the years. So, here’s to the ones who taught me the little things that ended up meaning everything.

 I wouldn’t be me without you. I think we all become a collection of borrowed moments, and I’ve been thinking about my borrowed moments lately- the ones that taught me things that never made it into my resume, but somehow define my being and who I am as a person.

An instance that came to mind when I decided to write about this is when, in 10th grade, during my PE class, I finally learned how to keep my laces from coming undone every ten minutes- double-knot them. It was a fleeting and very immaterial moment when a friend just made a comment about how double knotting works for her and suggested that I try the same. This small trick has stuck with me throughout the years, and it still is how I do my laces to this day.

Then, there was the day when my best friend introduced me to the world of “hair tools”. I was a “brush it and we’re good to go” person until she did my hair for me once. I was very impressed and confident, looking at myself in the mirror, that I immediately went out and bought the hair tool she recommended. It’s been two years, and I still own that tool, and if I may say so myself, I  would call myself an expert at doing my own hair.

And more recently, in college, when a friend handed me a pair of silver jhumkas and insisted I try them on, I protested that I didn’t think silver would look good on me. She just rolled her eyes and said, “Trust me.” I did. And she was right. In fact, I went out and bought myself a pair the next week, and it made me feel a little more connected to something I didn’t know I’d been missing, a quiet pride in tradition, in carrying a piece of culture lightly and confidently.

It’s funny how these tiny lessons that we learn in passing stick with us the most, instead of all the textbook learning I’ve spent years mastering. My music taste, my taste in clothes, the way I do my hair, the way I do my makeup, my mannerisms while speaking, my moral compass, my definition of rights and wrongs, everything is borrowed-something I inherited from someone I know or had the pleasure of interacting with at some point in life. I am proud to admit that I am not self-made. I am a personally curated work, stitched together by laughter, borrowed advice, kind hearts, and lots of love.

To the people who taught me to laugh at my own mistakes, to those who told me it’s okay to take up space, and to those who reminded me that growth doesn’t always look like success -this is my way of expressing how grateful I am for having you in my life. If I am softer now, stronger now, truer now- it’s because of you.

 To every friend who lent me their time, their patience, their playlist, their shoulder- thank you. To those who told me I could when I didn’t believe it myself -thank you. To everyone who taught me the little things that became the big things - thank you. To my family, who provided me with their immense love and have always been my biggest crutch, providing me with opportunities and teaching me how to go out into the world and seek what I want- thank you.

I am not just me. I am every hand that helped me tie my laces, every heart that softened mine, every voice that said, You’ve got this. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that we never really grow alone. We grow through people.

So, this one’s for you- Thank you for making me who I am today.