/serendipitous encounters

How often do we find ourselves in a power struggle with fate? We, resolute humans, want to be in the driving seat, steering calmly in the direction we want our ship, life, to float. And most of the time we are successful. We’ll reserve the paradoxical discussion of what’s yours will find you and you have to go and get it else it’ll never happen, for another day. This is an account of the times we are not.

You can try as much as you’d like, to take every possible step towards your desired outcome but sometimes, it really doesn’t matter. And that’s not a bad thing. It does not suggest that you should resort to giving up or not trying. It posits a different theme — opening a world of new possibilities. For if everything went as you planned, you will become a slave of your own imagination. We need these casual encounters with fate if not for anything then at least for the horizons it might unlock for us.

Trying to live life according to any plan you actually work out is like trying to buy ingredients for a recipe from the supermarket. You get one of those trolleys which simply will not go in the direction you push it and end up just having to buy completely different stuff. What do you do with it? You go a little further and see what it has in store for you — maybe you’d invent a new recipe.

Climbing the pyramidical roads of Old Manali, I had visions of clear skies and captivating views of snow-capped mountains in my mind. Little did I know the plans life had in store for me. I was greeted by a thick veil of fog, absolutely no visibility. Instead of regretting the exhausting drive, I decided to stay for a bit and observe the landscape in front of me. And as fate would have it, it put up an enchanting dance of mystique and movement for me. It was one of the most breathtaking experiences I have ever had — a serendipitous encounter.