On your good days

Embrace them

It is relatively common to share good days on Instagram, which cumulatively becomes almost like an overdose. But today's blog is not about that. It's been a while since the last post, A profound experience in Geneva's music festival, which by the way I also participated in this year along with my partner. It was a wonderful experience, except that he was better at pouring beer.

He is also good at something else. We met at CERN two years ago in his electronics lab. It was during a press visit that I was hosting to invite my former colleagues from Deutsche Welle, Germany. While the program was to interview his supervisor at the time who is a renowned experimental physicist, it was interesting to have run into his Masters student who was giving all his attention in explaining about some hexagonal boards (HGCALs) to a journalist next to me (but not me). Of course that got me curious about him but life went on. A few months after we met again when he finally asked my phone number. It involved CERN fire brigade, blood and Hôpital de La Tour. That is a story for another time. Recently, on one relaxed weekend at home, after tea (chai, the real tea) and shortbreads (my favourite biscuits from Scotland), he surprised me with a ring that he made in his small electronics workshop set up at our home, and a life–changing question to pursue a life together.

On my good day, I was crying. I was happy. I was scared. I am scared. I think leaving India to Germany to study abroad at the age of 18 was the last most daring thing I did. And then I started looking for comfort and saving my energy for all the obstacles that life throws your way as an international student. I started living a scared life. Scared of not clearing my physics exam. Scared not being able to pay for my student loan on time. Scared of not being able to support family in the way they need. Although overall most times, life has been good. And on those good days, I have spent time thinking about the possible bad days.

Getting a physical token, a rather beautiful and exquisite ring made out of an original idea from his imagination – how to turn the elements from his lab into something special, made out of resistors and diodes that look beautiful together, lead-free and are comfortable to wear, is a physical reminder that good days should be remembered, instead of spent in planning and thinking. On your good days, embrace them. Give a hug. We all need a hug.