Humour

The decade gone by!

It’s said, time is what keeps everything from happening at once. Time also adds perspective. 10 years is a fairly significantly module of time.  As the decade turns, I looked back at what my expectation was at the start of it, in 2010, and how it really panned out for me.

  1. Is the corporate ladder the key to success?

Expectation – I was working with one of the best global employers, American Express and was expecting to climb the corporate ladder. My definition of success was intricately linked to how well I did in my career.

Reality – In 2011, I got pregnant and decided to take a break from the corporate world. I took up writing, something I always relished in my youth but could not pursue as life got busier. At the end of the decade, I am an award-winning blogger with my own website and a regular writer on a variety of topics. Looking back, there are turns of events that really set you on the path that brings out the best in you. Only time makes you appreciate this truth.  

  1. Delhi – Jeena yahan marna yahan, iske siva, jaana kahan?

Expectation I am a Delhiite at heart. Born and raised here, I felt Delhi is where I will always be.

Reality In 2015, we relocated to Chennai as my husband’s job took him there. A wonderful stint of about 3.5 years introduced me to new lifelong friends, strengthened my bonds with family and propelled my writing trajectory. Getting out of a comfort zone can do wonders and really broadens one’s horizons. Today, I am richer by that experience and have countless stories to tell (many of which have already been featured on my blog).

  1. Wearing our lives publicly

Expectation – I thought Facebook was a good medium to inform the world about myself, learn more about others’ lives and reconnect with people who I had lost touch with and should be used sparingly. 

Reality – Social media now dominates our lives. There are so many forums to catch up on and it appears everyone’s lives are so public that there is an information overload. The pressure to be ‘correct’ is also intense as the world becomes more interconnected. This decade, I thought I sold my privacy!

  1. Lights, camera, click!

Expectation – Having graduated from reel cameras to digital cameras we got cameras even on our phones. It was the best way to capture moments of my little one growing up and I thought it can’t get any better!

Reality – It did get better. It was the age of selfies and exponentially better cameras on phones. I can’t imagine life now without them! First thing to do anywhere anytime! It is so cute to watch my little one try out his photography skills on himself and others as he picks up the Ipad.

  1. Changing face of entertainment

Expectation – The Khans would continue dominating Bollywood and the films would follow time-tested scripts. Thank God for Tata Sky and its recording power so I could select what to watch.

Reality – I was wowed by the new age talent that has emerged in terms of acting (Alia bhat, Vicky Kaushal, Ayushmann Khurana etc.) and the kind of powerful and interesting movies that are being made. Even better are streaming platforms like NetFlix and Amazon Prime and the original series they play. Good bye Tata Sky! By the way, where are the Khans?

 

  1. Motherhood

Expectation – I knew parenthood would come in this decade, but nothing can prepare you for it.  I had always seen other parents around me and imagined I would be different from there.

Reality – Motherhood happened, and I had to bite my tongue. I was indeed like everyone else. It is hard work and “always on”. As my son grows up, I realize that there is no perfection in motherhood. Every parent and child are perfect in their own ways. Perfection is a mirage whereas only love is real.

How many of these can you relate to? What was your most varied expectation vs. reality theme in this decade? I would love to hear in the comments section. 

“This post is a part of ‘DECADE Blog Hop’ #DecadeHop organized by #RRxMM Rashi Royand Manas Mukul. The Event is sponsored by Glo and co-sponsored by Beyond The Box,Wedding Clap, The Colaba Store and Sanity Daily in association with authors Piyusha Vir and Richa S Mukherjee”

135 thoughts on “The decade gone by!

  1. I can relate to many of them Prerna. Being on social media is a mixed bag and being able to draw the line between public and private life is a huge task. Glad to know that decade has left you richer with experiences. 🙂

  2. Oh Prerna, I really enjoyed this! I’m a fan of your short stories on so many platforms and this one was just as lovely to read.

    May this next decade marry your expectations and reality! And may you win so many more awards!!

    1. Oh wow Pavi! When someone of your stature appreciates it really means a lot. Thank you for your kind words and wishing you the same!

  3. Hey Prerna what a wonderful read. I found myself in so many places and couldn’t agree more with u.. The expectation vs reality check is a great way of putting things into perspective and i loved the concept. That mention of tata sky rung a bell of jhingallala in my ears and it felt so archaic.. it was a lovely read..keep writing and keep shining.

  4. Prerna – great to see the way you have portrayed your decade in the form of ‘Expectations vs Reality’. And I so agree with social media and cameras!

  5. I really like the idea of comparing expectation Vs reality and yes I agree that it happened with all of us, so many times. completely agree with FB fact..and in fact, nowadays, I feel over bored with constant overflowing info and other things on FB. it is really great that you had achieved a lot in blogging field in last decade..wishing you much more success and happiness in next decade.

  6. Yup, social media makes me feel the same, at times. This is a big reason that I am not on twitter and Instagram.. FB itself takes a big chunk of my time. These all are good for people who are very good at managing time and privacy. Motherhood is indeed a perspective changing phase of almost every woman. Loved your post.

  7. I can gather from all your lessons that all have been unexpected. Yes, truly, expect the unexpected! The one I liked most among all your lessons is the bollywood one. It is indeed heartening to see the grasp of Khans (no offence) being broken by such refreshing talent! – Pallavi Acharya

  8. I related to most of these realities Prerna. Looks like our lives are on a similar trajectory? I like how you’ve mixed your personality milestones with what’s happening around us. Here’s to the next 10!

  9. Prerna. Loved the style of narration – expectations vs reality!
    You’re absolutely spot on when you say – there is no perfection in motherhood!
    And the million dollar question- where indeed are the Khans?? ??
    Radhika from over at radhikasdiaries

  10. I liked the style you adopted for this post.
    Reality is always a little different from our expectations. And somewhere down the line, we learn to make peace with that fact.

    Cheers to good times ahead! ?

  11. I could relate to most of your points. Motherhood for sure is a different ball game when it comes to expectations vs reality. I also became a mother in the last decade and each day is a new surprise! And for sure we have lost our privacy in this age of social media!! Loved your post! Wishing you a great decade ahead!!

  12. A very clean and refreshing post-Prerna….you shared personal and social subjects and did full justice to both. Parenthood or social media or selfie culture we all have our own perspectives yet we keep searching for credibility from our peers. As u said Mothering is always on…however big they grow. Cheers to motherhood!

  13. You have beautifully analyzed reality and the expectations . A lot has changed over this decade – from selfies to social media to online banking , paytm , Netflix , ebooks and what not . For me the decade fulfilled one of my longed love of solo travel .

  14. I liked the way you layered your post with expectations and reality. It is a wonderful way of looking back. It gives a sense of dawning enlightenment that nothing will go as planned and what comes about is actually what was meant to be! Is it not? I will also think about what I expect from this new decade and I will look back after 10 years to see if they come true. Good exercise, no?

    Meena from balconysunrise.wordpress.com

  15. Very interesting journey showcased by you Prerna from the both sides of a coin, expectations and reality. Life flows with it’s own pace, reality always dominates our expectation, despite of discrepancies between expectation and reality , you sustained, you lived, you loved, been loved, you enjoyed every bit of life to the fullest.

    1. Thank you Archana. That is indeed what life is all about – moving forward and taking things as they come. I’m glad you found it interesting!

  16. I can relate to almost all of it. And I loved the way you presented it. Expectations vs reality. Life is what happens to you when you have other plans. Time and again this line comes back to me

  17. Hey Prerna, I liked the idea of comparing expectations with reality. It often brings us closer to what we are. Yes, the decade gone by has brought many changes but every decade leaves us with learnings.

  18. wow, reading your blog makes me believe that Change is the only constant thing and there can be a vast difference between expectations and reality. However, as much as I know you I know you are the person who handles everything that comes your way with a smile.

    1. So sweet of you to say that Ujjwal. Yes things usually don’t pan out the way we expect them to but it helps to take them in our stride and move forward!

  19. Delhite going to Chennai and settled comfortably, must have been a great effort. Leaving your comfort zone , coming out of expectation to live the real world is difficult but if the only way to rise higher and move
    forward. Nice read !!

  20. A reality check indeed. I could realate with everything you have mentioned about the corporate ladder, life on social media and motherhood. And let me tell you one thing, you are acing it all ! Kudos to you.

  21. Wow you have perfectly summed up the last decade with your thoughts exactly resonating with mine. haha.. I just loved it Prerna. I could not say it any better. All the points are covered well and well relatable..escpecially motherhood, Khans of bollywood, Netflix, privacy sold on social media,etc!!

  22. So manu changes in life!! Shifting from Delhi to Chennai is a huge change right. A total change of culture and way of living. How did you manage it? That too with parenthood. Thank God for change of Khans stereotypical cinema the newbies have bought with them some realistic cinema harbouring many new and untouched topics.

    1. Thanks Shail and it was a significant change for us but I feel the relocation helped us evolve. It was good exposure for us as a family. Couldn’t agree with you more on the change in cinema!

  23. Hi Prerna
    I loved the expectation vs reality concept. Very unique and a great way to analyse the decade. There were quite a few changes in your life in the past decade and the best bit is you are so positive about everything. In fact, people usually have things to say about selfie but you speak of it with so much fun! I enjoyed your post completely!!

  24. The constant struggle between expectations and reality! You’ve touched the important changes around us while showing how you bloomed as a person. I still vouch for the recording feature of Tata Sky, though. 🙂

  25. This was a very realistic post.
    How was the change from North to South for you?
    I had the same mind set that being a Delhi wali I would never shift, but life made settle in south – in Hyderabad and now I am a Hyderabadi more though the upbringing is very Delhi.

    1. Aah interesting. Im sure you too will have many stories to share from your experience. For me it all turned out well as we had a great time in Chennai!

  26. Can relate to many. and I loved your post because you could.map out what you expected and what actually turned out. Something that many of us don’t think about. Very interesting way of looking at the decade gone by.

    Janaki(@beyond the familiar)

  27. Loved your post complelety. The decade did bring in so many changes, good old Tata sky now seems like a grand dad? and I am wondering where the khans are too. Wonderful way to look back at the decade. Lots of good wishes
    Deepika

  28. Loved the concept of expectations vs. reality. I could relate to your journey. I too had plans of climbing the corporate ladder. Health issues forced me to change directions. Looking back, I am thankful for it since I would not have been a business owner if not for the stumbling block.

    Ditto on wearing our lives publicly, although I do manage to maintain my privacy any which way I can.

  29. Loved your take on the prompt, Prerna. How you have compared your expectation with reality sprinkling humor at the right spot, is commendable. Can relate to most of the points – be it motherhood, career or moving cities. Enjoyed reading it.

    1. So happy to note that Vartika. I think this decade has been very similar for most of us 80’s kids. Glad you enjoyed reading it!

  30. There are many aww moments for me in this post. I was reading and realising that I also thought in the same day but the reality is something different which always beat the expectation in a perfect way. I totally loved the post and didn’t know when I started with and when I completed.

  31. There were many aww moments for me in the post. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post. I was reading and thinking in the same way you felt. Sometimes Reality is far away from our expectations. I loved your idea of reality vs expectation. I didn’t realise when I started reading the post and when I completed. This is a well-connected post for me.

    Deepika Mishra

  32. The way you presented your journey in the past decade using the expectation vs reality representation was unique..Your journey had a lot of changes but you won against those challenges.. As far as social media is concerned it is both a boon and a curse so we can just hope to use it well…Interesting post…

  33. A lot of truth in your post Prerna. We couldn’t have predicted anything about social media or technological advances in this decade. Both marriage and motherhood came to me in this decade. Only later that I have realised I wasn’t prepared for anything, maybe you cant really prepare. It is a hands on experience.

  34. A crisp update of the decade gone by. Loved the introspective tone you have used, Prerna. Change is the only constant thing in life and I love the way you have taken it in your stride and made it work for you.

  35. Prerna, love your take on the theme…expectation vs. reality. How many of us would think of a decade gone by through this perspective. A lot has changed and for the better too and I suppose many of us can relate to these changes too.

  36. You nailed it with the last line..perfection is a mirage, only love is real. Social media is here to stay, and it’s a two edged sword. We have got wiser with time and it will continue impacting our lives.

  37. Wow, you have covered the decade in a nice way, Your journey of reality and realization feels like the story of many of us. The line that stole me was I sold my privacy this decade so true suddenly everything is public without even us realizing it.

  38. What I learnt from your blog is to keep the expectations low. Also to keep an open mind to see the reality as it is and not as we want it to be. Your byte sized takeaways are indeed little pearls of wisdom. Keep it up. Regards. Rohit Verma

  39. I could relate the most to the first point about success and how we define it with the growth in our professional careers. And then I felt as if I was reading about myself at the Delhi-ite at heart bit. There’s so much I could relate to in this post, Prerna. And I absolutely loved how you also covered so many different aspects like entertainment, social media, camera phones, too. The only thing that I couldn’t relate to, for obvious reasons, but enjoyed reading about anyway was Motherhood.
    Kudos on bringing out such a wnderful comparison between expectation and reality.

    1. Thank you so much Piyusha. You sure made my day with your lovely comment. I am so glad to read that you could relate to most of it!

  40. I liked the way you have expressed the changes. Yes, our lives evolve around expectations and reality. And you have described everything very well. Enjoyed reading it. Best wishes for this decade.

  41. I can relate to the post in many ways. The crux I would say is that we may have different plans but God has better plans for us I guess. Accepting change and evolving is the key to life.

  42. You have summed it up all in your post from motherhood to Bollywood. ” “Parenting is a mirage and only love is real” this line took away my heart. So crisp and short but so powerful. Loved your post, Prerna.

  43. You covered everything from Motherhood to Alia Bhatt. Yes, being a parent changing everything – our outlook, our philosophy. Yes, Alia and Vicky are a treat to watch. She was so good in Udta Punjab, Highway, but disappointing in Raazi.

  44. Prerna, not one but I can relate to all .
    Nothing comes as we expect, because reality knows what’s in for us and may what’s best for us too
    Again it’s in our hands on how we turn the table in our favor.

    Keep writing and I love your writing style.
    May you bag more awards and recognitions…

    And am following your page ..

    1. Thank ou so much Meera for your kind words. Means a lot to me. And I must add that I am a big fan of your writing too!

  45. I thoroughly enjoyed this post Prerna! Your honest and witty recap of “expectations vs. reality- decade edition”, has inspired me to think of my own. I’m sure I’ll come up with some gems, just as you have!

  46. There were so many things that I could relate to. The biggest expectation vs reality situation occurred when we had to shift from Bangalore to Mumbai. Life was all set for me and we were so much in love with bangalore that we had even bought our house there..but life banged a hammer of reality on my head and we had to shift to Mumbai in a matter of months after the purchase.
    I was all smiles as I read your post. I am a big fan of your 100-word story.

    #readbypreetispanorama

  47. We expect so many things but reality surprises us, doesn’t it? That’s the fun part of life, it’s unpredictability. How close would reality be to expectations in the next decade, I wonder now.

  48. Prerna… So true and an excellent read! It covered most of the changes this decade had offered. Also gave us a personal perspective of your changing cities experience. Ha.. ha..Where are the Khans? and yes Facebook.. what we thought, and what is really does to our privacy!

  49. Very well expressed, Prerna. I could relate to almost all the points you mentioned. I am also a Delhiite at heart and could not go far from home and even trying hard to stay as close as possible to home. About social media, it’s how we perceive what’s happening around. We may feel that others are showcasing even their personal life but only they know how much they are keeping it behind the doors. Loved reading your expectation & reality check from the last decade.

  50. I always love reading your posts and this one was going down the memory lane with you. From a corporate career to an author, from DELHI to Chennai to be back in Delhi, the last decade was filled with fun and surprises.

  51. Wao Prerna I loved this presentation. I can relate to most of the points here. We did sell privacy to some extent. Getting out of comfort zone expands our horizon for sure.

  52. Totally relate to the corporate ladder ans social media parts. Social media is all prevalent and super addictive, caution is required in these days of cyber spying.

  53. Prerna ji…what a wonderful piece. I was sold at the line where you said, ‘We have sold our privacy’. It totally resonates with me. Great structure to the post. Keep the amazing work going.

    #DecadeHop #RRxMM

  54. Can relate to almost all of it and enjoyed the touch of humor and wit in your post. It was very creative of you to present it in the form of expectations vs reality and that is what made it an interesting read. Am so happy you participated in this blog hop and shared this wonderful post with us 🙂

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