The plot twist that crept up silently

The thing with plot twists in real life is that they rarely come in as dramatically as the ones in books and films. They often come as a series of eye-openers, in quiet, unexpected moments. No soundtrack, no drama.

They arrive as a phone call, an email, a test report. For me it came earlier this year with my younger cousin’s heart scare. He’s one of the youngest, the one I always picture hunched up over a superhero comic, dozing off on the sofa mid-conversation head bent at oddest angles, forever ready for kabab and chaat parties.

This just wasn’t supposed to happen. Yet there he was, in hospital. ‘How come it’s my turn,’ he had laughed, ‘I’m far back down the line of didis and dadas.’

But that’s it. That’s the thing – mortality has a way of catching us all by surprise. 

We were all shaken. The husband joined a diabetes fitness group overnight and has been on a health mission ever since. Measuring, monitoring, making friends  with former enemies – quinoa and oats. To be honest, he amazed me. Despite being together for decades never had I thought he’d have such willpower.

It’s funny how quickly priorities rearrange themselves when life gives you a shake.

As he grows leaner, I grow greener. The question I’ve been asking myself is, ‘How come his metabolism is soooo much better than mine?’ Despite eating healthy almost all my life I remain my plump self (I like that euphemism, let me go with it, please).

Jokes aside, amidst phone calls and medical advice and collective sighs of relief a realisation rooted itself inside me: Life is short. Not in the dramatic, Dead-Poet’s-Society Carpe Diem sort of way, but more like a gentle persistent reminder.

My family and friends, my children, my parents, my cousins will always be the centre of my world. They are my anchors, my comfort. And I will always be there for them. But in the middle of it all I realised something I had not quite thought about. I have limited time too. For myself.

There are things I want to do, places I want to see. There are ideas waiting patiently in my drafts – some half formed, some nearly ready – each telling me they won’t finish themselves

All of that cannot be relegated to an uncertain ‘someday’, it has to be ‘soon’, maybe even ‘now’.

And so I’m making my own plans, rather than waiting for the everyone elses plans then filling in the leftover moments with mine.

I’m learning to make time – not stolen moments, not leftover moments, but deliberate ones. Time to walk more, write more, explore more and figure out parts of myself that I’ve let go because so many other things felt more urgent.

Because, life dear friends is finite, it doesn’t wait, it’s happening today, now, not later.

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This is Chapter 2: Plot twist of 2025, part of the #BlogchatterWrapParty.

Find Other Chapters here:

Chapter 1: The Title of my year
Chapter 3: Creator Bingo
Chapter 4: The Supporting Cast
Chapter 5: Vision Board for 2026