“While we often hear about happiness blooming even in the littlest of things, I didn’t understand the true depth of the statement until recently. It was one of those days when thoughts overtook my rationale and I was spiralling down a whirlwind of ‘what ifs’ and ‘whys’. I guess the two important faculties of human nature- memory and imagination often play out dramatically in moments of doubt.

Luckily though, I’d trained myself enough to channelize my energies at such times, towards activities that might, in fact, prove more productive than simply thinking. And one of them was cleaning up my space, in an attempt to simultaneously declutter my thoughts as well. Now, on that specific day, what worked more in my favor is stumbling upon a few old but precious letters that my students had written at the start of their academic year.

As a volunteer in a government school, I had given my children the task of writing a few pieces of advice that they’d be interested in sharing with their subsequent juniors who would step into high school, the following year.

A rather simple activity gave rise to a bunch of lighthearted yet wonderful responses, that instantly brought a smile to my face when I read them all through.

It also somewhere made me look back at my choices and be proud of the journey I’d been through up until then. I mean, after working for years at leading MNCs, nobody expected me to take a dive into the educational sector and dedicate my life to the service of children. What’s funnier was that I’d always thought that I wasn’t good with kids at all.

Nevertheless, I guess in a rapid turn of events in my daring attempt to not be stuck in society’s ‘template’ for a woman and actually pursue those things that lit up my soul, I’ve truly been through a rollercoaster of a journey. So be it my decision to experiment with careers or get into volunteering full-time, it’s been a series of tough but fulfilling events. And I say tough since there is obviously pressure to confine, which sometimes, triggers a lot of unexpected emotions. But with a host of heartfelt memories and findings like the letters from my students, it has all panned out well in the end.”