As the saying goes, ”Eventually you will end up where you need to be, with who you are meant to be with and doing what you should be doing.” I could relate my life to this saying. I was born in this magnificent universe in a city, where people are constantly in a race to excel each other, cut-throat competition to show each one is better than the other. By the time I could adjust to the city my parents shifted their base to a city where people had a more laid-back and a carefree attitude towards life. A city where people had an orthodox outlook, a city of ‘pulli-kollam’ and ‘idli-sambar’ – my Singara Chennai .
As I think about my time in Chennai all nostalgic memories sweep across my mind- my childhood, my teenage years and the good part of my life (life with my parents). Every vacation I used to visit God’s own country to visit my loving grandparents.
I reached a stage in my academics where I had to choose what I wanted to do in life. I passed an All India Exam and got admission into Taramani Institute- A catering college in Chennai, but my father had other plans for me. He told me to enrol in a teaching course. He felt that according to the social norms of that time, teaching was an apt profession for girls.
My life’s pace picked up speed after this. I got married and landed back in the state where I was born. Blessed with three beautiful and adorable daughters. I lived in a joint family, spending the prime years of my life taking care of my kids.
The best part of my life starts here- My 40s. One morning during a casual conversation with my husband he said ,”You take up a job and show me.” I took his words in a challenging way, and I started my teaching profession at the age of 45.
It’s been two years now. It was a radical change for the better. God gave me more kids to be taken care of- my school kids. Now at this stage I thank my father for having decided my career. I can say I was destined to get this wonderful life ‘The school life’ in my middle age.
I would like to conclude with another beautiful saying- “ If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present.”