The Small Things

It's the small things— 

a whisper in class, a chuckle we couldn't contain, 

an airport ride before a big day, 

Bollywood songs turned up 

so I could take off, heart feeling lighter.

It's the small things—

meeting in the first week as a group of strangers on the Cape 

and slowly becoming each other's space for comfort, 

calm and endless giggles, 

an anchor through everything, 

reminding each other where we started 

and how far we have come.

It's the small things— 

putting dinners in the calendar this summer

so neither of us felt alone in a busy new city, 

making me dinner when I return with homesickness, 

celebrating Diwali and Holi by my side in the cold March weather, 

until this place started to feel like my own.

It's the small things—  

saying yes to a cold message out of nowhere, 

then giving your time so generously, 

turning coffee into conversation, 

conversation into trust.

It's the small things—  

inviting me to your nephew's birthday 

and treating me as your own, 

introducing me to those 

who would become my tribe, 

making gifts with calligraphy as beautiful as the thought behind them, 

bridging sparring cultures in one family, 

because here, borders do not exist.

It's the small things—  

helping me negotiate like the boss you are

never dropping your encouragement 

through months of chasing the right role

then celebrating harder than I did when it came through.

It's the small things—  

your time and resources, given more than once, 

the gentle joke that my math has suffered (it has), 

reminding me to care for myself before ambition took over, 

the quiet push toward risk when I wanted the safety of standing still, 

dancing with pride in my success as if it were your own, 

and offering your shoulder when things came apart, 

until I could pick myself back up and keep going.

It's the small things—  

calling me wherever you are in the world, 

diving, driving, surfing, whatever it is you're up to, 

waking me in time to tell me to catch the next flight out, 

showing up to panels you had no reason to be at, 

clapping with all your heart from the back rows, 

chai that tasted like comfort, 

long talks over countless cups of tea, 

your art shared alongside your heartache, 

watching me cry without hesitation, 

the sofa always ready, 

your home always open, 

hugs that steadied me more than words.

It's the small things—  

giving me courage 

to share my MyTake, 

smothering me in hugs and tears after.

It's the small things—

nicknames I'd never had—Sravu, Sravs, Srav—each one a shorthand for love

and a meal with your mother in a city that until then felt unknown, 

but in an instant, you made it home.

It's the small things—

an amusing discovery that we are distant cousins, 

but true to that, 

you have shown up as family at every turn, 

celebrating me even in your most important milestones.

It's the small things—

being a sanctuary, a rock

when I come home, 

inspiring me every day with your energy and discipline,

your endless laughter

sharing quite literally everything, 

and being surprised when 

I asked you if you’d be a bridesmaid—

though to me, it was never a question at all.

It's the small things—

meeting me five minutes before boarding closed, 

in the terminal of a country neither of us calls our own, 

just to place a piece of my homeland in my hands 

when landing anywhere felt uncertain.

It's the small things—

gathering a thousand wishes from every corner of the world, 

celebrating my birthday three times over, 

on a highway in the middle of the night, 

balloons and streamers taking me back to childhood, 

taking me dancing where you know I'm happiest.

It's the small things—

a letter written in my name, 

your personal word placed on the line, 

to help me safely return in a moment of chaos, 

standing up for my character.

It's the small things—

rallying behind me like an army when I took on my biggest challenge, 

showing up in ways I hadn't thought to ask, 

showering me in love and pride, 

making the journey so much more meaningful 

than the weekend it ended with.

It's the small things— 

daring to tell me the truth, 

to see things a little differently, 

to put the right thing first, 

knowing it would eventually

only strengthen the friendship.

Perhaps, 

in the end, 

these aren't such small things at all.

Sravani Royyuru (MBA ‘26), prior to HBS, worked at Boston Consulting Group and studied mechanical engineering at Imperial College London. At HBS, she was co-chair of the India Conference.