The most rarefied wealth..

There comes an inevitable time in every person's life where he needs to leave his circle of close people. It's hard but very necessary. He gets to learn a lot of things the chief of which is their value. At home, he takes everything for granted.. His mom, dad and their unconditional love.. His extended family and their unexplainable affection.. His friends and the emotional support they provide.. His dog and it's frenzied shrieks when he gets back home.. Only when he leaves all that, does he become aware of them, consciously.

I was leaving to work in another state. My dad had come all the way with me just to drop me off at my accommodation. That's 5 days of travel for just 5 mins of saying goodbye. My mom was trying so hard to not become all sentimental in front of me but I had noticed her moist eyes. My grandma made a photo finish to my home just when I was about to leave. I barely could spend a minute with her. My cousin and 4 to 5 friends and groups changed their whatsapp dp to my picture.  One of my best friends came home the day before to pick me up and help me get to places across the city. He knew I had stuff to do and he knew I was pressed for time. Another one who doesn't come out 2 hours generally for a movie or hanging out because he needs to study made it to the station in Chennai's peak traffic time. Another friend was at the station before me. My uncle, aunt and my baby niece came to the station just because I had told them how I wanted to see her before leaving. I reach Trivandrum and open my suitcase to find a box full of my favorite chocolates and biscuits. My mom had packed my bags.

All this got me thinking. How am I going to repay all this? And then it struck me. I can't. But then, some things aren't meant to be "repaid". These things come with zero clauses and zero expectations. They are done not in the hope of getting something back but in the hope of making a person happy. Just that.

I remember how I felt that day- rich. I didn't have money on me and I was yet to get my salary account opened. But I felt rich. Now, I'm not going to get hypocritical and say something clichéd and false like "money isn't important." I want to make money just as much as the next person or perhaps more. In fact, I think it's right to want to make money. However, I also know that there are indeed more important things than money. I have developed a greater appreciation for people. I now make the most of what I have and don't take even the smallest acts of kindness for granted. In the rush of everyday life and in our pursuit of success, if we lose people, aren't we really trading a superior class of wealth for an inferior one? And how is that success?