The Last Days of January & A Fresh Start in February ✨

 January 31st – The End of a Chapter

"I woke up at 7:25 A.M. on January 31st, feeling neutral. It was the last day of the month, and I had mixed emotions—reflecting on what I had accomplished, what I missed, and what I needed to do next.

After freshening up, my day started with a cup of tea that I made for myself and my family members.

I went to study in the sunlight, where my siblings were already studying because the next day (February 1st) was their board exam. I was studying Physics to complete my syllabus; my sister was revising Biology, and my brother was analyzing question patterns and sending some important questions to his friends. I was also studying but kept observing them. I knew their analyzed questions wouldn't help much, but I still encouraged them, saying, "This is good, but revise other chapters too."

By midday (almost 1 P.M.), my sister took the phone from me, and I went to eat something. That was my free time. After 1.5 hours, around 2:45 P.M., I went to the rooftop and saw my siblings discussing their preparation for the next day’s exam.

I took my phone and started studying until evening, around 4 P.M.

After that, I took a small break, ate something, and went for a short walk.

Around 4:30 P.M., I got back to studying. This time, I borrowed a question bank from my sister and spent almost an hour analyzing some topics. I wrote them down in my notebook and started studying Biology. As the night passed, I began feeling tired, but as always, at 12:30 A.M., I recapped everything. I searched for the topics I had analyzed for my siblings, downloaded relevant lectures, and made short notes of a chapter with high probability of appearing in the exam.

Before sleeping, I placed the notes on my sister’s desk with a note:

"Isko padh lena aur jo bhi lectures download kiye hain unko bhi samajh lo bass. Phone charge kar lena."

And then, I wound down. 😴💤

February 1st – A New Beginning

"A new month, a fresh chance. I started my day with a cold shower. But soon, something unexpected happened…"

My mom suddenly told me that I had to go with my father and sister to her exam center. I was shocked because I had slept at 2:10 A.M. and had to wake up at 6:00 A.M., barely getting four hours of sleep. 🥱 But I thought, Maybe this is the last time I can help her during her exams, so I quickly took a shower, changed my clothes, and ate chapati, vegetables, and curd.

Meanwhile, my sister was still studying. Time was running out, so I told her, "Fresh up and get ready! We need to leave for the exam center!"

At 7:45 A.M., we left for the center, which was 11 km away from home. During the journey, she kept listening to lectures and revising her notes. We reached the exam center, where her friends were already waiting for her.

The moment we arrived, I felt uncomfortable because it was a girls' exam center, and I was hesitant to speak. My sister went inside while we waited outside.

Suddenly, my dad saw someone from our village. They started talking, and I found out that his daughter was also appearing for the board exam at the same center. Since both of them were friends, we now had company—me, my father, and that uncle.

We went to a roadside chai shop, where my father and the uncle ordered tea. But I didn’t take any because I only drink tea made by me or my family members. So, I waited, listening to songs and walking along the national highway.

To pass the time, we visited a nearby mall. While they were looking for clothes, I wasn’t interested. So, I thought, I’ve learned some photography—why not capture some shots? 📸 I took a few pictures (without permission 😆).

As time passed, we left the mall and went to the railway station, which was right in front of the exam center. My dad and the uncle were chatting while I sat a few meters away. Suddenly, I noticed a girl constantly looking at me. 😳 After realizing this, I quickly got up and walked toward the exam center, where I sat on my bike, waiting.

At 1:00 P.M., my sister's exam ended. While heading home, we met her teacher, who asked for her question paper. I handed it to him.

On the way back, we stopped at a roadside food stall and ate chole bhature. 😋 Finally, we reached home.

Later that night, I realized I hadn’t studied the whole day. 😕 But luckily, I had already completed most of my Physics and Biology syllabus.

Before sleeping, I searched for the exam paper to see if the questions I had analyzed were actually asked. And surprisingly, most of them were in the high-scoring section! 🎯

That night, I slept at 11:30 P.M. 🛌😴

----------

February 2nd – Struggles & Realizations

"Some days are smooth, but today was unimaginable. I felt overwhelmed because my Chemistry syllabus and revision were still pending."

I had planned to complete 220 hours of study by the end of January, but I managed only 170 hours. 😟 And since yesterday was my sister’s exam, I didn’t study at all. Now, the upcoming exams were on February 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th, so I was unsure if I could focus on my studies during these days. 🥺

Determined, I cleared my pending topics and planned my February study schedule.

In the evening, I went for a short walk in front of my house and saw my grandfather smiling for no reason. 😊 I thought, How beautiful is this? He’s feeling happy without any reason, so why can’t I? His smile filled me with positivity, and I returned to my studies feeling refreshed.

Later, I found that the owner of my Telegram study group had created another study group on a Pomodoro timer app. ⏳ Curious, I joined, and at that time, there were only 11 members.

---------

February 3rd – Moving Forward

"Today, I learned that being positive makes a difference. I handled things differently..."

According to my plan, today was a free day, and I was supposed to start my schedule from tomorrow. But I already started it!

I took Chemistry lectures while using the Pomodoro timer app. During the session, I saw that the group owner had shared a WhatsApp group link, so I joined that too.

By the end of the day, I had completed most of my daily targets. ✅ Now, I’m curious—what will tomorrow bring? 🤔

As the day came to an end, I lay down, thinking about everything that happened. Some plans worked, some didn’t, but that’s how life is. Another day awaits, and with it, new challenges and hopes.

"Zindagi wahi hai jo hum sochte hain, 💭💭

Kabhi umeed, kabhi bewajah sapne hain. 🥺🥺

Jo samajh le yeh khel waqt ka, ⏳️⏳️

Uske liye har din naye apne hain." ☘️👋

Thank you 😊

Yours truly,

A. Kumar