A Hookah Story: Beyond Comparisons, Embracing Your Own Unique Journey

Amidst stars and old memories, I learned a vital lesson. Life's too short to compare and chase others' paths. Embrace your uniqueness and journey on, staying true to yourself! ❤️

Photo by Taras Chernus / Unsplash

It was a long day at work and suddenly an old-timer friend called me saying hey I am in your city let's catchup

Hailing from a small city Jind in Haryana, my friend is married now and has come to town with his wife his 9-month-old cutie Jasmine.

Me being in existential crisis all the time went deeper thinking here I just can't get a hold of my life and this guy has been married already and that too with a beautiful wife and a kid.

As I picked them up I was all nervous until he came and hugged me.

I thought the same guy with the same old values and mindset but with a family, how can he handle all this?

Turns out he doesn't know it either and is just going with the flow.

💡

I guess sometimes in life, you have to do what's meant to be done without thinking too much and trusting the people who have done it better.

Anyway, continuing.

I took them to my favorite Pakora shop and all around the city clicking their photos and being their tour guide until he suggested I drop his wife and kid back at their Jatt Bahavan where they were staying.

Now my sneaky-ass friend didn't have a friend in the city but a lot of friends of friends who were living in a shitty place close to my house.

As we barged into their home not knowing a single person straight to the rooftop where a guy who just woke up at 9 pm was obsessing over Insta reels below the beautiful starry sky.

Few words were exchanged in the typical Haryanvi language and he was ready to prepare it for us.

THE HOOKAH

Being so proud of the desi hookah which is a staple in almost every home in Haryana they explained how it's better compared with the standard one we all smoke at the club or bar

It is Simple I said,

The charcoal is replaced by dried cow dung which is a biofuel and is prepared like preparing a coal pit.

And the premixed flavor in our hookah was replaced with desi tobacco brought in a big bag all the way from rural Haryana.

And the same water is filled to somewhat purify the smoke "lol"

As they two were pros at smoking, I was nervous as we were at the edge of the roof making a hookah sesh happen.

I took my hit after a while.

Cough cough cough, I coughed crazy

That will happen, of course, just give it time my friend said

As I kept on rotating the hookah a really big hit of blurriness hit my mind.

I was shattered by how strong this hookah was.

The stars went blurry and the lights at the top of the nearest mountain went dim

It lasted for about 5mins or so with me having to inhale burnt smelly cow dung mixed with the cheapest and most disgusting taste and tobacco ever which I am still coughing out for the next two days.

💡

It's an experience, let's just do it for the sake of it, I said to myself

Well I don't smoke or take any harmful shit into my body, but I won't be writing this if I didn't say "Let's give it a try, life's too short"

I learned an important lesson about life that night.

While my friend seemed to have it all figured out with a family and a seemingly carefree attitude, the truth was that he was also navigating life's uncertainties, just like me.

The hookah experience served as a metaphor for life's choices.

💡

Sometimes we are tempted to try things that may seem appealing or exciting from a distance, but upon closer inspection, they may turn out to be harmful or unfulfilling.

Life's journey is unique for each of us, and we all face different challenges and make varied choices.

It's easy to compare ourselves to others and feel inadequate, but we must remember that everyone is on their own path, and we never truly know the full story behind someone else's seemingly perfect life.