The Room of Forgotten Things

Last week, I had a really lovely dream and woke up nostalgic and happy, with almost a smile. Context: I took a week-long break from work, so my mind was quite at ease and not worrying about meetings and deliverables. 

Alright, so coming back to my dream. I am in my college room (the one I lived in during my 3rd year). I was maybe visiting campus or coming back after a break, but that wasn't very clear to me. Alright, so I am in my room, and it is very cluttered and full of things such as books, photographs, clothes, guitars, harmoniums, pens, notebooks with a clothing line going right through the middle of the room, and whatnot. 

As I took a closer look at the things in the room and checked the cupboard, it started returning to me. These are things that I have lost or forgotten about, all sitting in that room for me to discover and explore. There is a pile of books, and atop is a Manchester United book that I had gifted my husband last year on his birthday while we were in Goa. And it was nowhere to be seen when we came home. It has been a year of him trying to track the book down, and it was sitting in my old college room. As I move further into what seems like an unbelievable amount of stuff in one tiny room, I see more things I have not thought of or misplaced. On the window hangs a dress that my college friends (whom I no longer speak to) had gifted me, the one we celebrated my birthday on campus. No, they were not monsters; my birthday was during the summer holidays. I will not bore you with more personal anecdotes of things I found in the room.

Random photo of BITS Goa college rooms

As I step out of the room, I see my old friend, let's call her the fantastic dancer, standing by the water cooler. I haven't spoken to this woman since 2018. We only exchange pleasantries twice a year on our birthdays. And there we are, standing near the water cooler with bottles in our hands and catching up on life. We are soon joined by another friend, standing and talking like we did in college. I also met a few other acquaintances in and around the room. 

I wake up and immediately think of the room of requirements in Hogwarts, where one could find whatever they were looking for. This, however, was slightly different. This was "The Room of Forgotten Things" filled with things you did not know to look for. This was the room filled with people whom we once held dear and things we once deemed important and have somehow lost their importance/ status as life moved on. These things/ people were a big part of you at one point in time and maybe still are today in some tiny corner, they make you who you are. 

As I lay awake in bed, the dream left me to ponder on the beauty of such a concept - a sanctuary where the forgotten finds its way back into our consciousness. This room serves as a metaphorical archive, a testament to the people and experiences that have shaped us. This is a room full of the life you have lived. 

I think this is a wonderful concept. A safe space of sorts or a sanctuary to revisit things old and important and forgotten, deliberately or by chance. A place to sit and reminisce and marvel at the life you have had so far and be thankful for each and every one and each and everything to have been a part of it. 

This could be what heaven looks like. You sitting in one of your favorite places in the world, surrounded by all the things and people you have ever loved.