For most of us, the first thing that comes to mind when we hear the words “summer vacation” is our grandparents’ house.
In my case, it was different. I grew up with my maternal grandmother. She did most of my parenting. Her home was never really a vacation place for me because I spent the best part of my childhood with her, back in my hometown.
I always felt as though she was my twin sister, even though I deeply respected her age. I felt completely comfortable and safe whenever she was beside me. As a child, I truly believed she could protect me from anything that could ever happen in this world. Whenever I had a bad dream, I would hug her tightly because I believed no evil could ever harm her. She was so regular with her prayers that, in my little mind, she seemed almost invincible.
When I was a kid, we used to have running races in the parking lot of our apartment. My friends were jealous because my grandmother was young and healthy enough to play catch and catch and hide and seek with us, unlike their grannies.
I still laugh when I think about one particular scene. Little me would stand at the main door and shout to her before leaving for my tuition classes, “Don’t forget to give Kevin his lunch. He is hungry!”
She would reply, “Of course, dear. Just make sure you are back before he finds out that you are not here.”
Kevin was my stuffed doll.
She always made me feel that my fantasies were real. In my world, dolls really did have lives and fairy godmothers really did exist. She never made me feel silly for believing in those things. Instead, she entered my little world and made it even more magical.
She was also my guardian angel, protecting me from getting beaten by my mom whenever I got into trouble.
When I was in fourth grade, the two of us secretly decided that we would move to Kerala. Life at home, with just the two of us, felt like heaven. She loved my mischievous side and never stopped me from doing crazy things, like dressing up in my grandfather’s dhoti and vest with a charcoal moustache drawn on my face.
We played, we fought, we cooked, we gardened, went to temples and bhajanas, visited people’s homes, attended functions, and, in fact, did almost everything together.
People started calling me her “vaalu”, which means “tail”, because they could hardly ever find one of us without the other. We were inseparable. We did not particularly like anyone else entering our little comfort zone either. It was our own tiny world, and we were perfectly happy living in it.
As I grew older, she became the person who protected my pride. When I scored poorly in my exams, she would somehow make sure I did not feel small in front of my parents. When I did well, she celebrated as though I had achieved something extraordinary. Whenever I won a prize, she would proudly tell everyone about it.
We had so many secrets between us too. Some things belonged only to her and me, and somehow that made our bond even more special.
When I was put in a hostel during high school, I would wait impatiently for the second Saturdays so I could rush to her. I would sit at the kitchen counter for hours, telling her everything that had happened over the past month.
On weekends, she would bring me my favourite lunch, pothichoru, packed with curd rice, coconut chutney, potato fry, and my favourite mango pickle. ❤️
We would also sit together on the steps of the lonely basketball court at my school and talk for hours.
Those were some of the most beautiful moments of my life.
By the simple act of thinking, vortexes are created, invisible energies are set in motion, and circumstances begin to shift, slowly bringing into reality what was once only imagined. This mysterious pull of your thoughts continues long after you think them, especially when they are followed by intention, expectation, and action. Mountains begin to move, rivers begin to part, and what once seemed impossible starts to become possible, until eventually there is manifestation.
This is what is meant by the idea that “thoughts become things.” It is not about things appearing out of thin air. It is about how thoughts, when given intention, expectation, and action, can influence the world around us and begin to shape the reality we experience.
We live in a physical dimension that already exists, filled with billions of people, countless circumstances, and tremendous momentum. Yet within all of that movement, our thoughts can become a powerful force. They influence what we notice, what we choose, what we believe is possible, and ultimately what we do. In this sense, the unseen begins to affect the seen, shifting, rearranging, and aligning the elements of our lives toward the closest equivalent of what we have consistently been thinking and moving toward.
In other words, this is the essence of what is often called “the law of attraction.”
“Thoughts become things” is the simplest way to express it. And perhaps that is why those three words are so powerful. They tell you exactly where you fit into the picture. You are the thinker. You are the decision maker. You have the ability to choose what you focus on, what you believe, what you expect, and what you act upon.
They reveal you as something far more powerful than you may have imagined: a creator with extraordinary potential.
Of course, many people would rather not think of themselves as phenomenally powerful. With great power comes great responsibility, and it can be easier to believe that life simply happens to us than to consider how much influence we may have over what we create.
There are no finish lines in life. Yet perpetually seeking them as the quick fix, the big win, the home run; serves only to remind you of what’s missing, reinforcing the illusion of lack.
But when you stop fixating on results and embrace the journey as it is, there will be innumerable days when you look back and marvel at the distance you’ve travelled.
“It only seems to take a long time when you’re looking for finish lines, Kemosabe.”
