They’re tiny, inconspicuous instruments. Nobody remembers them until loose papers are scattered about like dried leaves on an autumn day. That’s when the humble paperclip steps in, uncomplainingly holding chaos together.

Paperclips remind me of the people in life who aren’t the loud main characters but still keep everything from falling apart. The friend who notices when you’ve gone quiet, or the sibling who shuts your ears when the house is ablaze with arguments. The teacher who knows when you’re struggling and helps you out. They don’t make grand gestures, but do just enough to keep your story from scattering.

Sometimes, paperclips bend out of shape – too much pressure, too many pages. Just like relationships that try to hold more than they were built for. You keep forcing it, hoping it will work, until one day the clip snaps and the papers fall apart anyway.

So here’s to the invaluable paperclips in our lives: small, underestimated, maybe a little boring (unless they’re the multicoloured ones everyone loves to collect), but who hold together the unruly pages in our lives.

Yours truly,
Divi