Now and Then.

Who the...?

Harendra Kapur.
Kyra Mathews.
Tejas Menon.



Restlessness can either be good or bad. In my case, its bad because I dont seem to be finding an appropriate outlet for my restlessness - apart from getting cranky. In one of my fits of restlessness and excessive web wanderlust, I stumbled on this site: Learning to Love You More. It's one of those rare websites that encourages you to do silly things that you'd never really think of and makes it meaningful. The most mundane of things, like making a bed or braiding your hair can become art, as long as you really feel it.

I laughed when I first found the website. It seemed unecessarily cheesy and I didnt see how doing any of the stupid "assignments" on the list could help you love you more. Then, stunned to see how many thousands of people had actually completed and posted their completed assignments, I figured, what the hell. I have nothing better to do anyway. I closed my eyes and picked a number from 1 - 70, and picked my lucky number, 16. Assignment #16, to my utter dismay, turned out to be " Make a paper replica of your bed" Of all the writing assignments the site has, I had to pick an arty crafty thing, that Harry could do full justice to, while I'd land up with a mess and many papercuts.

In the end, I figured that getting out of my comfort zone could only be a good thing, and if I messed up, well, no-one would ever have to know. So I made my paper bed. I made a mess, and I got paper cuts, but while I was making it, in my room, with the music blaring, I felt some of the restlessness fade. For the first time since I officially graduated, I felt content and happy, with my little bits of paper constructing a silly little paper bed. "Like a recipe, meditation practice, or familiar song, the prescriptive nature of these assignments is intended to guide people towards their own experience" The sentence just seemed like a bunch of flowery mush, when I first read it on the site. Now, it makes perfect sense.

Sometimes you just need to use your hands and create. Sometimes its good to just forget about work and study and all things sane, and do something you wouldnt ordinarily do. For some moments or hours, stop thinking about everything you think about. And you might just remember what you were like before you were consumed with work, money, rent, exams, scholarships, roomates, lovers, recession or even traffic and a lack of parking spaces. You'll forget about being broke, being tired, being unemployed, being homeless, being cranky, being lonely, or just being plain pissed off.


Instead you'll reread a favourite book from 5th grade, write the phone calls you wish you could have, make the phone call someone else wished they could have, take a photograph of strangers holding hands, braid someone's hair, grow a garden in an unexpected spot, cover the song "Dont dream its over" , or draw a constellation on someone's freckles.

Do the assignments. Do all, do one, do some. It'll be nice to remember what life and love felt like before life took over.

Ps - Yes, I know that is a terrible paper bed, but what do you expect from a pack of cards and wrapping paper?

4 responses to "Love & Paper Beds."

  1. Oh my god, Kyra. Seriously. I was listening to Coming Up Easy by Paolo Nutini while reading this and man, I'm so calling you. After i get your number.

    Tejas

  2. Yowza. Is this good or bad? You have my number doofus, Ive called you from it before! And sang Coldplay very tunelessly to you also. So plizz call and tell to me things - good or bad.

    Kyra

  3. God, you're awesome.
    And thats an excellent paper bed.

    Harry

  4. Didnt your mother ever tell you not to lie? Now, YOU could make an excellent paper bed. I make messes.

    Kyra

The All of us.

The All of us.