Hi welcome to Lost in Labyrinth. Thank you for showering your love and comments. You will be happy to know Lost in Labyrinth now has close to 150 subscribers and is available on 8 platforms- Overcast for Apple being the latest addition.
Overwhelmed with all the love, today I am about to share something very private to me. In my previous post I mentioned about the influences that shape one's personality. My grandfather's eldest brother, lovingly called Bade baba, is a person without whom none of my stories are complete. A renowned educationalist, he took me under his wing when I was very young. Most of my understanding of the world, which is manifested in my actions is through the prism of his learning. No matter what I say will never be enough in this man's glory. So I will just skip to one of the incidents.
Bade baba taught me English among other things. I scored highest in my home city Agra, in class XIIth Boards and he was over the moon. Those were the times when calling on telephones were reserved for special occasions. I vividly remember how he called all the near and dear ones to inform that I scored the highest and that he tutored me. Our community organised a periodic gathering to felicitate the high achievers. I was one of them. On the day of the event,Excited he took out his special safari suit and prepped me, saying, to always be humble when receiving any award. And never forget to be thankful to people who made that possible even in the tiniest of manner! Having spoken to him, I went ahead to get ready. It is now pertinent to mention at this juncture, that I was in my rebel-without-a-reason, teenage phase. Everyone got ready and just as we were prepared to leave I had a disagreement with my father. Upset with him, I decided to not attend the function. My grandfather being punctual; and highly perfectionist had left by then.
At the ceremony when my name was announced, he saw it was my sister that went to collect the trophy. He was clearly disappointed in me. When he came home, he asked for me. I was almost certain I would get an earful but instead he sat me down, held my hand and told me how our ego in that one short-lived moment just deprives us of a memory that will last us a lifetime. I lost him the next year, but believe me that remains one of my life's biggest repent!
These golden words often come to my rescue when I am angry or upset with something. Have you ever felt this way? Like after all these years I don't even remember the inconsequential disagreement I had with my father that day. Do you ever feel, a decision taken with a clouded judgement can rip you off a memory or an experience that is an absolute absurdity in the hindsight. In economics it is called the opportunity cost. The cost of the forgone alternative. Did you ever feel that with your life choices- in personal life or at work?
There was a story I read in my childhood, the significance of which I now understand.
There was a man who had four sons. One day, out of the blue, he asked them to go and see a pear tree which was a great distance away. The first son went in winters, second in spring, third in summers and fourth in fall. Upon learning that all his sons had fulfilled his wish, he called them together to describe what they saw. The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no – it was covered with green buds and full of promise.The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.The last son refuted all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfilment. The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but one season in the tree’s life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are – and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life – can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfilment of your fall. Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
At work, not every variable is controllable. So foresee your decisions & choose your battles wisely. Emotional rationality is highly advised. Alternatively, talking about relationships in our lives, all associations should be based on two core elements- love and respect and in equal measure. A skewed proportion does us no good!
And while on this subject don't compromise on your self- dignity but take a moment to assess what is at stake? Situations change but the path leading to the outcomes is essentially the same. Question- how much are you willing to give in and at what cost? While sometimes you may stand your ground and have it your way but always, always look at the big picture! Don't be up in arms about things you will forget tomorrow. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish!
Parting with the following interesting thought, I take your leave until next Friday!
Life is unpredictable
It changes with seasons,
Even your coldest winters
Happens for the best of reasons,
And though it feels eternal,
Like you'll ever do is freeze
I promise spring is coming,
And with it, brand new leaves!
Goodbye and have a joyous weekend!
1 comment:
Beautifully written 🤗
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