Sital Rijal

    Memories captured in frames of old A time when I was young and bold I look back now with a heavy heart Feeling sadness, tearing me apart I see myself, so carefree and wild Innocent, happy, like a child But life has a way of changing us all Making us stumble, making us fall And yet, as I look at myself today I feel a sense of strength that won't sway I see the person I have become Mature, resilient, not easily undone The road was long and not always fair But I made it through, with scars to bear And as I reflect on my journey past I know that my struggles were not in vain, they'll last For they shaped me into who I am today And though it may be hard, I will not sway I'll keep moving forward, day by day Stronger and wiser in every way.

                                                                    Photo by: Sital Rijal What is childhood? We often romanticize it, yearning to return to simpler times, but do we truly remember what it was like to be a child?  Didn't we long to grow up, to work, to behave like the adults we admired? I found myself pondering these questions as I watched four young kids playing with a homemade wooden car in the muddy streets of Ramdhuni, Sunsare, Nepal. The energy between them was vibrant, their laughter and shouts filling the air. The little boy who owned the car was the center of attention, and I approached them with a smile, curious to learn their names. But as I spoke, the boy with the wooden car suddenly burst into tears as his friend tried to take it from him. I then asked th...