Every moment of our life is a
learning opportunity from ourselves or others. It is not only formal education
that gives us learning opportunities but every interaction, every incident,
every moment where hindsight may make us feel that we could have handled
something differently.
I am a firm believer of life
itself being an opportunity for learning, learning at all levels – spiritually,
cognitively and emotionally. It is for us to recognize these lessons and their
meaning in our life to evolve further and progress on our journey.
I also believe that all
relationships are of give and take, people come into our lives and move on and
re-enter as and when we are ready to receive more and grow. This is true of
both good and bad relationships. All of them teach us something. It is our
wisdom or lack of that helps us move on and grow or live in similar patterns
creating similar outcomes in our lives.
It took me a while to realize
this and use every opportunity and incident as an opportunity to learn and
evolve. Today, I care deeply about these experiences and am ever so thankful
for them. As I look back, there have been many positive influences on me that
have shaped me into who I am today. Every time I look back at my life, a certain
component of it comes to mind. It really is impossible to recollect every
incident each time. But each that comes to mind has its own lesson. The grade
III Hindi teacher who hit students on their knuckles with a duster taught me to
be kind, the grade V Math teacher who shamed me for scoring 58 in retrospect
taught me courage to face difficult situations and overcome them, my
grandmother’s addiction to every news transmission on the radio taught me how
to be thorough, a dog being hounded by young boys for fun taught me compassion,
working parents taught me independence, my daughter’s following me around in
her early years like my tail taught me unconditional love, my dog waiting for
me at the door every day of her life taught me loyalty, my favorite cousin
walking away from my life taught me acceptance, my brother’s love, encouragement
and gentle nudging to do more taught me confidence, my husband’s support gave
me wings, my mentors at work at different times of my life taught me to be
grateful, to forgive, to make mistakes and learn from them, to honour my word,
to fulfil my commitments, to soar as high as I want, to pursue my dreams, to
try out anything I want to and so much more. My friends taught me to laugh, to
be myself, to enjoy little things, to be there for the other.
I am sure if I think harder,
longer, I will find many more lessons of life, people that taught me to be who I
am today. And then there would be many who may still not come to my mind for no
real reason and certainly not for their lack of contribution, but just because I
am human and didn’t get reminded of them today.
I spent some time today
interacting with one of my favorite mentor who has always inspired me, encouraged
me to do more, push myself, taught me so many life lessons and continues to do
so even today. My lesson today was to go out and appreciate others, acknowledge
their contribution in my life, tell them that they matter to me and humbly
apologize for any inadvertent miss that was not meant, close the loop and move
forward, celebrate and learn together, pave the way for more endearing and
deeper relationships in every way possible. This one is therefore for you.
Thank you!
