Five years from now ...

 

Five Years From Now: A Feeling, Not a Title

Whenever someone asks me, "Where do you see yourself in five years?" I never reach for a job title or a salary figure. I reach for a feeling.

Five years from now, I hope I wake up excited about my day. Maybe I'll be walking into an office I genuinely love. Maybe I'll be running something of my own. I can already picture myself wearing sarees to work on random days not for any occasion, just because I feel like it, and because they make me feel like me.There's one dream I keep circling back to: a small café with a library attached to it. A place where people can come to talk, read, work, or simply sit alone without feeling lonely.

I think I want this because I've spent so much of my life enjoying my own company. I know exactly how comforting it is to have a quiet corner in the world and I want to build one for other people too.

I see myself living in a home of my own with the person I love. Not my parents' house. Not my in-laws' house. A place that belongs to us where we get to build our own routines, our own traditions, our own memories, from scratch.

 I also see myself driving a nice car. It might sound like a small thing, but ever since I was younger, watching women drive confidently on their own gave me this strange little thrill. I always thought, one day, I want that life too. Five years from now, I want to be living it.

I want to travel as much as I possibly can. Landour is at the very top of my list. And from there who knows? Maybe London. Maybe standing in front of the Eiffel Tower one day, smiling because a dream I've carried for years finally came true.

I secretly hope for a beautiful proposal someday the kind of moment that becomes a favourite memory for life.

And maybe, much later, two little kids. That dream still feels far away, but it's there, quietly sitting on my bucket list, waiting its turn.

More than anything, I hope I become the kind of woman who is happy with the life she's built. Independent. Loved. Financially secure. Still curious about the world, and still dreaming of new things.

If I can become that person in five years, I think I'll be doing just fine.

What does your five-year feeling look like? I'd love to know.