One morning, my five-year-old squeezed her toothpaste on her brush and a big lump came out and fell on the floor. She immediately panicked and tried to wipe it with her hands. The floor, the brush, the paste, and her hands were all a mess. She looked at me timidly and said, "Sorry!". I smiled, (Don't mistake me for a saint. But yes, sometimes I am patient. :) ) cleaned up the mess, and said, "Here, try again." She refused, "No ma. What if I make a mess again?". I said, "No you won't. I am sure you will do it better than your previous attempt." She agreed, tried again, and did a clean job. I then became nostalgic and remembered a similar experience I had during my childhood and started narrating my kutti (small) story to her. She was all ears as she is fond of stories (well who is not :)) The Story ~~~~~~ When I was in 7th grade, I had a bicycle but still I walked all the way to the school (45 minutes) as I was not confident enough to face the road. I used to practice at 5 AM every day to get rid of my road fear. One day, when I was practicing my U-turn, I slightly brushed against a middle-aged lady who was carrying home a pot of tea. No sooner than I realized what was happening, she started shouting at the top of her voice. She probably had been having bad days and didn't have anyone to pour her emotions on (LOL). I knew that she was scolding me but I had no clue about the words she was using :). In fact, I did not even disturb her teapot. I was not sure why she was so angry. She then gave a final menacing glance and walked away. Will you believe if I say, even after 30 years, that look brings chills down my spine? I was extremely intimidated, to say the least. And yes, I did not touch my bicycle for the next 3 months. I did not dare to. My Best Friend ~~~~~~~~~~ One morning I woke up determined to start my practice again. The road and my bicycle looked alien and scary. The first 2 days were daunting and uncomfortable. But then slowly I got rid of my fear and started cycling my way to school after a month. My bicycle then became my best friend and I used her even during my college days to commute to college and the computer class. She accompanied me wherever I went and riding her gave me a profound sense of freedom. Gyan ;) ~~~~~ I learned a valuable lesson from her. "The people, the circumstances, and your emotions can intimidate you when you fail miserably. They might not allow you to dare and do it again. It requires a lot of courage and determination to attempt a failed task. But it is definitely worth it." While my little one was listening carefully, she asked, "Where is the bicycle now?". I said, "I had to bid her goodbye when I was 23 years old. That story is for another day. Now let us get ready :) "
#perseverance #resilience #overcomingfailure #determination #learningfromfailure #nevergiveup #keeptrying