I am bored and as much as it pains me to say it, I am lonely. I can go an entire day without any socialisation, without a conversation with anyone. I wonder sometimes if I'm invisible.
I feel like the old men and women who used to bother me by engaging in unnecessary chit-chat with the cashiers while I was stuck behind them, in a hurry, wanting to get on to the next place. When you don’t have a next place to go to, time slows down enormously.
I feel myself noticing other people more, catching more eyes, or seeking out eye contact. I'm now ripe and ready for a conversation about anything with anyone; it would make my day if somebody would meet my eye, or if there was someone to talk to. But everyone is too busy, and that makes me feel invisible; and invisibility, contrary to what I believed before, lacks any sense of lightness and liberty. Instead it makes me feel heavy.
And so I drag myself around, trying to convince myself that I don't feel heavy, invisible, bored and worthless, and that I am free.
I feel myself noticing other people more, catching more eyes, or seeking out eye contact. I'm now ripe and ready for a conversation about anything with anyone; it would make my day if somebody would meet my eye, or if there was someone to talk to. But everyone is too busy, and that makes me feel invisible; and invisibility, contrary to what I believed before, lacks any sense of lightness and liberty. Instead it makes me feel heavy.
And so I drag myself around, trying to convince myself that I don't feel heavy, invisible, bored and worthless, and that I am free.
Before you form a judgement about me or my daily life, this isn't about me but the protagonist named Jasmine from the book The year I met you by Cecelia Ahern...
So you must be thinking what's its all about??
Every book comes up with new story line and characters and I believe it also comes with great back story from the readers in form of; The reason why they choose it, the connection they felt with the characters, what impact it had on their life or how they were a great conversation starter... Every individual reader will have a different perspective and independent story of their own...
My back story started with a tete-a-tete. I was travelling with my husband to his hometown which was going to be five hour tiring journey. So I planned to take a book with me. The moment he saw I was going to read instead of listening songs and chatting like I usually do, he started a conversation which I learnt later to be his master plan to distract me.
My back story started with a tete-a-tete. I was travelling with my husband to his hometown which was going to be five hour tiring journey. So I planned to take a book with me. The moment he saw I was going to read instead of listening songs and chatting like I usually do, he started a conversation which I learnt later to be his master plan to distract me.
My husband instead of giving me space to read the book, bombarded me with his questions... Book in a moving car? It won't be difficult?? What's the name of the book?? How do you read, I can't sit quietly and read even two pages... What it's about??
I simply ignored all his questions and replied with one mean smile (telling him that I was seriously looking forward to read the book) , "The year I met you" .
To which he excitedly replied- 2010...
What??, I gave one bemused smile.
"Yaa... That's the year we first met...Remember."
'I do remember and I never asked a question it's the name of the book...' and my face was mirror of his expressions.
We shared a good laugh and have had heart-to-heart about our memorable day.
You know what's the best thing about being in a relationship, it's how minor or ridiculous the issue might be, the couple has ability to stretch it like an elastic and it applies on both negative and positive issues... If you are in a relationship than you'll easily understand what I mean.
There we sat in a car, listening to latest songs that we choose a day before just for the journey and talked about our memorable day or I should say memorable few minutes when we discussed and decided our probable future but something that kept bugging us was our son sitting quietly in the backseat wondering what we both were discussing.
He was sitting so quietly that we had to turn and look that whether he is okay or been asleep... Sometimes he is so quiet that we couldn't feel his presence around unlike most of the times when we wish to jump out of the moving car because he is so hyperactive and is capable of making a standing car dance with all his lickety-split activities...
So nice thing about book is that it started off well with a nice conversation.
Soon my husband got busy while driving safely on a patch of crowded highway that's under construction and my son got busy watching monkeys on road and playing with his toys.
It was a win-win situation for me to finally start reading. No more chatting and importantly my son won't jump on front seat, he won't come up with his bedtime story book and he won't snatch my book(though he tried once in while) in search of colourful pictures...
So nice thing about book is that it started off well with a nice conversation.
Soon my husband got busy while driving safely on a patch of crowded highway that's under construction and my son got busy watching monkeys on road and playing with his toys.
It was a win-win situation for me to finally start reading. No more chatting and importantly my son won't jump on front seat, he won't come up with his bedtime story book and he won't snatch my book(though he tried once in while) in search of colourful pictures...
This was supposedly my second novel by Cecelia Ahern. My first read was her debut novel PS I Love you which I felt was a masterpiece that made me laugh and cry both at the same time...
Whichever book I have read till the end I somehow have managed to find a connection in direct or indirect way possible. Problem is If I don't feel anything I don't continue(many books bought whose last chapters I have never read).
Whichever book I have read till the end I somehow have managed to find a connection in direct or indirect way possible. Problem is If I don't feel anything I don't continue(many books bought whose last chapters I have never read).
About the book, The year I met you, The moment I started reading the novel I started feeling the connection. I guess that's because of Cecelia last novel that I adore and also her writing style that starts impressing you from the very first page.
Story starts with Jasmine who is going through the most difficult point in her career and is finding life difficult.
Story starts with Jasmine who is going through the most difficult point in her career and is finding life difficult.
Through her struggles she starts learning things about herself and life that she never knew before. The awful things that happens actually helps her to be emerge as a stronger person and after few introductory chapters comes Matt, who too is struggling with his life. The story is basically about two of them meeting in a particular year.
The year I met you turned out to be totally unpredictable. It isn't a romantic novel but it's still about Love... Not the one between man and woman (at least not in an obvious form) but with yourself and the beautiful relationships you are gifted with...
Its a story that introduces many other characters(leaving the trivial ones), Jasmine's cousin Kevin who expressed her feelings with a forced kiss, her elder sister Heather who has down syndrome for whom she is overprotective even though she is independent, her father who left her mother on her fate with two daughters but was back in her life after her mother's death, her step mother who was few years older than her and her half sister Zara against whom she holds no grudges but feel envious for what she has that was missing from her life(father's love) and Monday her love interest, a friendly elderly neighbour Dr Jameson and also teenage son of Matt whom she supposedly rescues from a dual between him and his father.
Interestingly unlike many other romantic novels I have read, I always loved the brewing romance part but in this I found no real interest in getting to know more about the couple- Jasmine and Monday. Only thing amazed me was the name and the story behind the name- Monday... Even though he sounded perfect in every way.
I found so compelling connection between me and Jasmine in so many ways...at so many points I felt that I was reading my own thoughts through other person's writing and journey...
Both of us are same when it comes to replying to Someone's ludicrous remark or dealing with emotions.
It bothers me that so many lack common sense, that their opinions can be so biased and backward, so utterly frustrating, misguided, misinformed and dangerous that I can't stand to listen to them.
I don't slap answers on their face even if I want to do it badly. I simply ignore things with clenched Jaws.
But afterwards I feel sorry, not because I have hurt someone but because I think I may have wasted an opportunity to actually do something important in the right way. There are dozens of sarcastic, ungrateful things going on in my mind that I could have said in so many different ways to convey my disappointment but instead what I do... Bite my tongue...
When I am hurt, I am unable to sleep. I feel as though my head is overheating from thinking too much, like my laptop when it's been used for too many hours.
When I am Angry I feel the anger rising within me so quickly that I have to fight the urge to loose it right there.
When I am frustrated I spend long time in bathroom, crying the frustration out. Every time, I finish with one vow that I can't lower myself to make others happy.
The way she feels protective for her sister even though she doesn't needs protection touched my heart string and makes me admire her, also feel a deep connection with her.
And the funny part is when we both are in search of something we do something that might not make sense to anyone but it does for us even if we don't know the reason behind it but we still do it...
When in search of anything, the only way to find it is to acknowledge out loud what it is, because you can't see it unless you fully register and envision it in mind what you are looking for. For example TV remote... I say it either in my head or loud, it helps in finding the thing quickly.
Importantly, Most of the people think that I am uptight person, my silence is often misinterpreted but that's just my introvert nature and not disrespect towards anyone or anything. Only my family and close friends know the free and easy side of me and I am fine with it.
I loved the book its simple yet motivating. Three important lessons that I learnt.
Firstly, there are two always two stories to one event: the public story and the truth.
Secondly, In order to fly one must first clear the shit off ones wings. First step towards it is to identify the shit.
Thirdly, If you have to do something, you have to do it now and have to do it yourself. It's your life, you're the one who dies, you're the one who loses it. You can't wait for someone to help you. You have to help yourself.
My journey with the book ends with narrating story to my husband and with this written piece. With this it will always be in my memory and close to my heart.
The book is a journey of self discovery. Its a story where you learn that life's struggles do help us to become stronger versions of ourselves.
The message is that no matter how stuck we feel, we are always moving, and transforming. All difficult moments are transitional times, we are always evolving, and becoming the next version of ourselves. We just need to know that and stick it out.
Its a story that introduces many other characters(leaving the trivial ones), Jasmine's cousin Kevin who expressed her feelings with a forced kiss, her elder sister Heather who has down syndrome for whom she is overprotective even though she is independent, her father who left her mother on her fate with two daughters but was back in her life after her mother's death, her step mother who was few years older than her and her half sister Zara against whom she holds no grudges but feel envious for what she has that was missing from her life(father's love) and Monday her love interest, a friendly elderly neighbour Dr Jameson and also teenage son of Matt whom she supposedly rescues from a dual between him and his father.
Interestingly unlike many other romantic novels I have read, I always loved the brewing romance part but in this I found no real interest in getting to know more about the couple- Jasmine and Monday. Only thing amazed me was the name and the story behind the name- Monday... Even though he sounded perfect in every way.
I found so compelling connection between me and Jasmine in so many ways...at so many points I felt that I was reading my own thoughts through other person's writing and journey...
Both of us are same when it comes to replying to Someone's ludicrous remark or dealing with emotions.
It bothers me that so many lack common sense, that their opinions can be so biased and backward, so utterly frustrating, misguided, misinformed and dangerous that I can't stand to listen to them.
I don't slap answers on their face even if I want to do it badly. I simply ignore things with clenched Jaws.
But afterwards I feel sorry, not because I have hurt someone but because I think I may have wasted an opportunity to actually do something important in the right way. There are dozens of sarcastic, ungrateful things going on in my mind that I could have said in so many different ways to convey my disappointment but instead what I do... Bite my tongue...
When I am hurt, I am unable to sleep. I feel as though my head is overheating from thinking too much, like my laptop when it's been used for too many hours.
When I am Angry I feel the anger rising within me so quickly that I have to fight the urge to loose it right there.
When I am frustrated I spend long time in bathroom, crying the frustration out. Every time, I finish with one vow that I can't lower myself to make others happy.
The way she feels protective for her sister even though she doesn't needs protection touched my heart string and makes me admire her, also feel a deep connection with her.
And the funny part is when we both are in search of something we do something that might not make sense to anyone but it does for us even if we don't know the reason behind it but we still do it...
When in search of anything, the only way to find it is to acknowledge out loud what it is, because you can't see it unless you fully register and envision it in mind what you are looking for. For example TV remote... I say it either in my head or loud, it helps in finding the thing quickly.
Importantly, Most of the people think that I am uptight person, my silence is often misinterpreted but that's just my introvert nature and not disrespect towards anyone or anything. Only my family and close friends know the free and easy side of me and I am fine with it.
I loved the book its simple yet motivating. Three important lessons that I learnt.
Firstly, there are two always two stories to one event: the public story and the truth.
Secondly, In order to fly one must first clear the shit off ones wings. First step towards it is to identify the shit.
Thirdly, If you have to do something, you have to do it now and have to do it yourself. It's your life, you're the one who dies, you're the one who loses it. You can't wait for someone to help you. You have to help yourself.
My journey with the book ends with narrating story to my husband and with this written piece. With this it will always be in my memory and close to my heart.
The book is a journey of self discovery. Its a story where you learn that life's struggles do help us to become stronger versions of ourselves.
The message is that no matter how stuck we feel, we are always moving, and transforming. All difficult moments are transitional times, we are always evolving, and becoming the next version of ourselves. We just need to know that and stick it out.
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