I don't think highly of myself. But one thing I'm actually very proud of and grateful for are people in my life and around me. Now, why do I say that? And why should you care? I'm random guy sitting in some corner of the world, writing about people around me, this doesn't make sense. Yes, initially things don't make sense.

I don't consider my life to be full of struggles or hardships. I'm a decent guy who hasn't gone through much. Decent childhood, average student, good artist, introvert, not that great at studies, good friends, great parents, mostly everything was fine. But this is not what I used to think a while back, a while back, I used to see myself as a victim. That my life is so hard, there's no one around me. I used to cry about small small problems.

Something happened some days ago. I got 2 new people in my life who changed my perspective. I was talking to one of them one day and she just casually asked about me because I was down and wasn't feeling great. She's a great person, always happy and cheerful, I admire her. I just casually asked her, how is she always so happy, cheerful and full of life? I was genuinely curious.

She replied "Happiness is the only option we have Piyush. You have no idea what I've been through. My close friends know about it, unfortunately I can't tell you right now what it was". I felt bad for her. She sounded so truthful yet courageous. I couldn't stop but think about it. I wanted to know what it was that she had gone through but I think that wasn't necessary. I could feel in her voice that she would had gone through hell. You know there are moments between two people when things just get real, when you just know that someone is telling something from their heart and they mean it. It was that moment. (Just telling, I'm a sucker for deep conversations like these, where I get to know people, who they really are, what they stand for, what they've been through) Coming back, the realisation hit me. If she could go through hell and survive and sit in front of me, happy, cheerful and full of life, then who am I? I never faced anything like that, all my stories were small, I couldn't see any problem. I realised, I should not be like this.

Similar experience happened with one of my online friend. She told a bit about her story which also sounded traumatic and that she had been through a lot. I just couldn't stop but wonder how can people go through so much and yet be so happy and strong? I realised my problems are very small and barely even a problem. People have gone through hell and yet they stand strong inviting life.

A dear friend of mine, he has gone through so much, all alone, he never let me help him but he always helped me. Maybe, I was not capable enough to help him. But somehow he always managed to find a way to solve the problem like heart-break, family finances problems, friendships etc. Yet he stands strong. He works a hard day job which requires intense coding for hours and then he works on Bondub (more about it in upcoming blogs) at night almost everyday. He has been doing it for almost 3-4 months now. He is an inspiration.

A close friend of mine recently went through the most tragic breakup story that I had ever listened and I couldn't stop but wonder, how the hell did he actually survive it? A relationship of almost 8 years which everyone thought would work out for sure, just shatters, leaving that man … (my vocabulary isn't strong enough to describe how he was or what he felt). He had lost everything, the world he had imagined and that he was truly working hard for. The world he imagined for both of them. All just gone like this. But he picked himself up. The sheer courage it takes to come out of this is something which I can't understand.

People like them make me realise that their is so much to life. People are truly capable to so much. We are truly mysteries and everytime I get to know someone, I can't stop but wonder how truly beautiful people are. Life is not an easy journey but people around me, people I hear stories about never fail to surprise me, the sheer will power of human beings and what all we can go through.