IMPORTANT

My parents always wanted me to attend those prayer workshop sort of things where you are confined in a building for 3-5 days and have to follow a strict prayer routine and diet with many other restrictions. Its not really as barbaric as it sounds.

So I did do it once. Willingly. And I came out of it with greater realization of the world around me. Surely not what my parents had in mind!

At the time I was living those two different lives that I mentioned earlier. One was with the family that I had been born into. And the other, well-hidden, was out of choice. It was hidden due to the fear of society - as it went against all the laws laid down for unmarried young girls from well-to-do families (or for anything with boobs for that matter).

During the three days that I spent trying to connect with god, the realization of the bigger picture dawned on me. I saw life so clearly inside those walls. I understood the pettiness of my fears and the insignificance of the people around me in the bigger scheme of things. And I knew what I hoped my parents knew already.

That life is bigger than society.
That our life choices have the power to transcend worldly norms.

It is a big lesson - which I often forget from time to time. But I'm glad it has stood strongly in my head whenever I made the big decisions.

For this I also thank my parents, whose lack of discouragement I always understood as encouragement :)