my trip to the bay area in 2019 had a special reason: i was meeting my then 4-month old nephew for the first time. I spent most of my day with him, and in the evenings I would go to SF.

i have seen the Golden Gate Bridge a lot of times in the past, but to truly appreciate the scale of this magnificent structure, Fort Point is the place to be so I finally decided to go there in the last week of my trip.

as I stood there in complete awe of the bridge, watching the waves crash at its feet, its massive scale reminded me of the grandeur of life itself. it was then that I realised that I would probably meet my nephew about ~30 more times in my lifetime, and it was scary to realise that my parents would get fewer chances than i.

my mind went into a spiral of thoughts leaving me wondering how many more family dinners we would all have together, if I would ever be chilling with my grad school friends in our usual hangout spots. it hit me like a truck and made me appreciate what my parents had gone through - what every parent goes through when their child moves away.

since then, i've made a conscious effort to overcome my introversion and prioritise spending time with the people I love rather than bailing out of such opportunities. i am grateful for this shift in perspective because it prepared me for the challenges during the pandemic, when it became difficult to see friends and family for extended periods of time.

life can seem formidable and everlasting, but the depressing math of it is that time is fleeting and really fast at that.

for me, this photo captures the enormity of life in the transience of time, reminding me to cherish the handful of moments i have with our loved ones and make the most of it.