Tuesday, July 11, 2006

“NOT A GIRL , NOT YET A WOMAN”


“ In this life we must do what we can; we may not reach to the heavens, but there is plenty to do on earth”

The greatest birthday gift that one can, receive is –LIFE .Not only are you gifted your parents feel gifted too. Over the years they carefully unwrap and teach you the lessons of life. Then there comes a stage in life when you feel that “you are not a girl but not yet a woman”.

Standing on this pedestal of life the world looks at you as a woman but your parents see you as a girl .As for you, you are confused.

You feel you are a girl because according to you being careless and irresponsible will pass off as being cute, anybody older to you is an adult and anybody younger to you is a kid, having your mother do all your chores are how things should be, fighting with your siblings is the first on your priority list and winning over them is your greatest achievement.

But, then you feel you r a woman when you have arguments with your parents, people no longer find you cute they find you beautiful, you realize that your parents are not all that old as you thought they were, and find that your siblings are your closest friends.

A realization dawns on you, that apart from being a daughter, a sister, and a friend you are an individual. There is a voice within, which is struggling to be heard. A restless person within who wants to experience life first hand, who wants to leave the cushioned world and venture into rugged terrains. YOU know that life offers both good and bad surprises, yet YOU want to be surprised! .

Well then, what is the problem? It is the mind and its confusions.

Until now, your parents holding your hands have led you into the nuances of life. They ensured that irrespective of whatever difficulties they had to face, your journey was a smooth ride. But now here you are wanting to let go of those very hands.

Standing at the crossroads of life YOU are confused. WHICH ROAD TO TAKE?
Should you suppress that voice within which is growing louder by the day, or should you just spread out those wings and fly!

If you decide to choose the former, no doubt you will make your parents happy, you will tread on those paths which they have paved out for you—safe and secure, living all their dreams even if it meant crushing your own. Years later when you become a parent you will feel there is nothing wrong in expecting the same from your children. But, how much ever you suppress that voice within, it will find a way out, and like the sand that slips way when held too tight in your palm you will end up slipping away from your self.

On the other hand, if you chose the latter no doubt you will disappoint your parents, temporarily though. Life will be tough; it will bring in surprises both good and bad but with it comes lessons. After all “ As we grow, we learn and As we learn we grow”. Then it all boils down to the choices we make and how responsible we are for our actions.

JUST THINK!!!

When you decide to let go of those hands then your enthusiasm is equally supplemented with fear-----what if I fall, what if my wings break, what if I am not able to fly at all. That is the time you want somebody to assure you that they will always be there for you, when you look deep within you want that somebody to be your parents.

On the other hand your parents are worried that if they let go, you are sure to fall, you are sure to break your wings or if at all you manage to fly you may fly away from their reach. These thoughts arise purely due to their love, concern and care for you. They need to be assured that you do want to fly but not fly away!

The truth is that, you want to make them to feel proud of you as much as they want to feel proud about you, you want to see them happy as much as they want to see you happy and you need them as much as they need you. It is rightly said “ to love and to be loved is the greatest privilege in life” when this is possible then why give in to confusions. It is time for candid discussions.

So, all those people standing on such crossroads in life and to all those parents remember “ If you love something set it free, if it comes back it is yours otherwise it never was.”