ON THE WINGS OF A DREAM ✨️✍️

I was just thinking the other day about how we all had so many 'Hopes and Dreams' for the future, when we were little kids. 

Every child wishes that he would be something great in life, when he grows up. Each one’s Dreams are different; and each one finds his own ways to get there as well. For some, those Dreams are realized. For others, they're not. But for most people, those Dreams keep changing constantly, as we journey along life’s path. Not everyone is privileged enough to see his childhood ambitions and wishes turn into reality; but for those that it does, nothing could make them happier.😊

I recently had a conversation with a couple of my students, about what I had hoped to be when I grew up. Without blinking an eyelid I replied, “I’ve always wanted to be a Teacher.” “Was that all?”, was the next question, “because if that was all, that would mean, you’ve fulfilled your Dream.”🤔

I pondered over the question for a while and realized, that in fact, I was actually one of those lucky few individuals, who actually got a chance, to achieve what they dreamed of doing as kids.

Yes, I think being a 'Teacher', was always one of my lifelong Dreams. I had seen myself as a Teacher, from the time I was a little kid. I remember, that I was always imitating my own teachers activities; like writing on the blackboard, maintaining discipline in the classroom, preparing assemblies, helping the teacher to fill up mark-lists, marking the attendance in the absence of the teacher and countless other things. I think, I was destined to be a Teacher, because I was being trained for the job, even when I was still a student.❤️

I’m Grateful that I got an opportunity, to be where I am today. However, apart from that; I still have a few 'Unfulfilled Dreams', which I hope to fulfill some day, at a later stage in life. 

One of those, is that I hope to see my name, on the cover of a book, one day. 'Writing' has always been my way, of expressing what I feel. It’s my way of coping with every situation, that I come across in life. Putting thoughts into words is what I love most. 

Over the years, I’ve written innumerable pieces on a wide variety of subjects. However, more than fiction, I think I deal with 'Reality'. Most of my Writing, is drawn from my own life experiences. 

I’ve written essays, skits, poems, articles, posts on this blog, messages for special occasions, speeches, and a host of other material. I’ve even maintained a Diary for some time. 

A lot of the things I have written, have already been published, in various magazines and journals, websites, either as Articles, Poems, Reports of Events or numerous Editorials (since I proof-read and edited my School Magazine, for many, many years). Some have found their way to my friends collections, especially when they’ve liked something, that I’ve written. 

Some day though, I hope to put all of my writing together, which today is in bits and pieces all over the place, and get it published for posterity. God-willing, this desire I have, will one day become a reality.✨️✍️

While most of the Dreams I’ve had so far, have always been achievable, there is also one other Dream I have, which is rather far-fetched; but it’s something, that I often think about. 

Along life’s journey, I’ve met countless individuals, and many of those, I call my Friends. Unfortunately, while it’s so easy to make friends, having them around you Forever, is impossible. 

As life goes on, friends move on. In most cases, we meet, only to part after a while. Of all the people I’ve encountered in life though, many became very 'Special'. Some have stayed in touch, but others haven’t; and unfortunately today, I’ve lost touch with many of them. Despite that fact, they continue to be very dear to me, and the memories of the special moments we’ve shared, are very real and ever-present.💕

I always imagine, that before I say my 'Final Goodbye' to this earthly life, I should get a chance to meet every single person, that I have ever encountered in life, who has mattered to me in some way or the other. The scene that often crops into my mind’s eye, is of me lying on a hospital bed, and of being inundated with a long string of visitors, my hospital room filled to capacity with every single person, I’ve been close to in life.😊

Unreal! Impossible! Never going to happen! I know. To any sane and rational mind, this is more than far-fetched; but still the desire, for it to actually happen, lives on. I guess, there’s no harm in letting one’s Dreams take flight. Even if they’re far from reality, they provide happiness while they last; and that’s all that really matters.✨️

FEELING BLUE ✍️

‘SMILE YOUR BLUES AWAY!!!’😊

About two and a half years ago, when I first started posting on this blog, that’s the name I chose for my blog; because I always thought that having the ability to smile my way through life, was one of my great assets and one of God’s greatest blessings and gifts to me. 

True, life has presented me with countless opportunities in which to smile; but it has also taken me through moments of crisis, stress and extreme frustration, when a smile was absolutely the last thing on my mind. 

Despite that, somehow, I always managed to make it through the dark night. 

My blog though, has received mixed reviews from those who frequent this part of cyberspace. Mostly friends and some casual passers-by have often taken the time to comment on the content, that I’ve chosen to post here. 

Some felt that the 'smiling' was way too excessive for their liking; while others thought, that the 'blues' were always evident through the smiles.

Today, I decided to share an experience about how I managed to get through and cope with one of those 'inevitable blues' in life.

The last two days have been rather stressful. The pressure at work, has been weighing me down in a big way. Things just haven’t been going my way. I suddenly feel incapable and handicapped, and at a complete disadvantage. I haven’t been able to meet a deadline for a particular project, and am not even entirely happy with what we have managed to put together. It seems like a very shoddy and haphazardly done job; and as a result, it goes without saying, I’m very disappointed in myself. Have even contemplated just handing over the entire project to one of my colleagues. I think the best way to put it would be, I have been smiling a whole lot lesser, in the past two days.

I guess feeling a little 'off colour' sometimes, is pretty normal; and so, it wouldn’t really surprise most people. 

However, this morning in school, I had three different students asking me the same questions, 

“Miss, what’s wrong? Where has that smile gone today?”

“Miss, you don’t seem yourself today.”  

“Miss, I can’t believe this is the same optimistic person, we are so used to seeing everyday.” 

I tried to give them a not so genuine smile in response; but knowing me, most of them saw right through it. It was pretty evident. Something was troubling me terribly, and frankly, I couldn’t really pinpoint what that something was. 

My frustration literally drove me to tears last night; and to make matters worse, I didn’t really know the actual reason for those tears. All sorts of feelings and emotions made their way in. To sum it up, I guess I was at an emotional low point.😒

During the course of the day however, I managed to find someone, who lent me a listening ear; and I guess, that was something I needed really badly. The moment I’d offloaded my burdens, by voicing them to another person; I strangely felt so much better. 

This person was neither a counselor nor a psychologist. I wouldn’t even call this person my equal in age, cause the chasm of years that separates us, is extremely wide. All that was provided to me, were some words of comfort and encouragement, and some badly needed 'cheering up', that had seemed to be in short supply, over the past two days. I felt a lot calmer after that conversation and the storm that had been building up inside me, seemed to have quietened down.😊

The news I received just an hour or so later, would otherwise have crushed my spirits completely; because I received confirmed news that the project we were supposed to get done, was far from complete and didn’t even show signs of completion for another day or two. 

In my previous volatile state of mind, I would have reacted very differently to this piece of information. Strangely however, that one conversation, had helped me to handle the situation in a way, that surprised me as well. 

I was upset beyond doubt, that goes without saying. I even geared myself for a severe dressing down from my superiors, the next day. I was saddened and disappointed; but not as distressed as I had been, just a few hours ago.

Just one chat, had helped me to overcome all the pent up worry and anxiety, and had prepared me for any eventuality, no matter how grave or severe the consequences. I still wasn’t smiling; but I wasn’t incapable of doing it anymore.✨️

This experience taught me a very important lesson. It taught me about the importance, of being able to unburden oneself of one’s worries. It showed me how, just talking about something can make one feel so much better. It gave me an idea of how sometimes, the most unlikely person could help you untie the knots in a complicated situation. 

Moreover, it taught me never to give up, even when the odds are not in your favour. I learnt through this experience that no matter how many times one falls, what matters more is to rise up and go on. Strangely, this is something I myself had taught my students through a poem in Class X, only a month or so ago. Today, my own life experience reminded me of that same lesson once more.

I’m grateful to God for sending me someone, who listened to me today; and I’m also grateful to Him for taking me through this experience.

Although I’ve learnt it the hard way, I guess this experience has also taught me not to overestimate my capabilities and to stay grounded at all times. Over-confidence and pride, can be the downfall of the best of the best; and I learnt that, through a not-so-pleasant experience today. 

I’m glad this experience came along though, because now that I’m prepared for the most terrible consequences, I can smile again.😊

GLAD TO BE A TEACHER 😊❤️

What a day! I don’t think I could have gone to sleep today, without putting into words what this day has been like for me. Actually, not just this day, but this entire week has been quite something. Awesome! Splendid! Remarkable! Amazing! I could list out a whole bunch of adjectives; and it still would be insufficient, to really express how wonderful this week has been.😊

Teacher’s Day comes our way every single year, and for me, this day has always been special. This is my 5th year as a teacher; and every year Teacher’s Day has been a day I look forward to, with a lot of anticipation. 

This year, our Teacher’s Day Celebrations were spread out over an entire week. With events ranging from Antakshari, to a Quiz and even a back-breaking marathon Treasure Hunt, which has definitely contributed to some much needed weight-loss and also a terrible back-ache; the week finally culminated in a fantastic programme this morning. All in all, this week has been quite a roller-coaster ride.😄

It was a week in which our X Std. boys put themselves in our shoes for a short while everyday, and managed the school with a lot of confidence and enthusiasm. The panache and fervour with which they stepped into the roles assigned to them, was noteworthy. 

It was a week in which, the latent talents of our boys came to the fore, in a plethora of ways. Their creativity and innovation resulted in quite an incredible combination of fun, entertainment and some unforgettable moments. 

Whether it was picking up the little things we teachers do and say, and then imitating them, or poking fun at the teachers in a rather hilarious way. Whether it was simply dancing their heart away to entertain us, or putting us on the spot, with a short round of extempore speeches; the day was completely power-packed.

Of course, for me, the icing on the cake was the manifold nominations in the 'Top Three' for the Students Choice awards for the year, and actually winning one of those awards as well. Not only did it give me a fair idea of what my boys think of me as a teacher, it also made me feel so great about the fact, that I chose to be a Teacher. 

The recognition on the part of the boys, made all my efforts and hard-work, all the stress and strain, seem worthwhile. Winning the award for being the teacher with the 'Best Smile', once again reinforced my belief, that one needs to be able to find joy in the little things in life. It made me realize once more, what a wonderful gift God has blest me with - The ability to be able to ‘SMILE’ and be happy in every situation in life.✨️

My boys expressed their gratitude in so many ways over this past week. Every performance, whether it was in my classroom by my little chintus of Class 6, or by the older boys on the school stage. Whether it was through the innumerable flowers, bouquets, gifts and extremely special cards that I received. Whether it was the sms’s, phone calls, emails and scraps, or the visits from ex-students I’ve taught in the past 5 years, who took the trouble to think of their school teacher on this day -  Everything the boys did, was their small way of saying Thank You.❤️

I realized that before this day draws to a close, I also need to say a word of Thanks to the Heavenly Father above, for blessing me with all the talents and gifts that I would need, to help me be a good teacher. I need to thank Him for always being with me and guiding me on my journey through this vocation, that I have chosen. 

However, most importantly, I need to thank Him for the gift of every single student of mine, who has contributed in their own small way towards making me the teacher I am today. I can only pray that God may bless them abundantly, no matter how near or far they are from me today, because it is only because of them, that I am what I am today. I am a teacher and I’m so glad I am.💕