On India’s 75th Independence day, I reflect on what independence means in everyday life and how it shows up for me sometimes in the small stuff:

Crawling into bed at noon. Asking for help. Saying that scary “I love you”. Quitting a job that makes me miserable. A glass of wine – just like that. A simple “no”, no explanations. Saying yes to the unknown. A good cry without guilt. Taking time to make my coffee just as I like it. A slow Sunday breakfast. My first house. Reading a book into midnight. Chocolate cake. Apologising. Learning a new skill. A one way ticket. Embracing my body type. Walking away from a bad relationship. Accepting my parents’ dissaproval. Taking a solo walk to nowhere. My music playlist – no judgements. Changing “I should” to “I want to”. A long bath. Making that tough phone call. Discipline. Laughing out loud.