30 April 2008

Seven Windows of My Soul

This post is inspired by Seven Windows of My Soul by Marymurtz
Well...mine are not necessarily happy moments. They were turning points from my life, which have made me what I am today.

1) A day in the year 1979 - My brother went to a boarding school and I was studying in the local school in Jammu...someone teased me that Dad had sent the SON to the expensive school and me - a girl to a cheap one. I insisted that I be sent to a boarding school...I was all of 6 years then.
My parents agreed and off I went to Welham Girls High School, one of the most reputed schools in India.
Welhams made me the woman I am today...independent, confident, not afraid to speak my mind, and always ready to stand up for what is right and what I believe in.

2) A day in the year 1989 - I decided that I had had enuff of boarding school and wanted to go and stay with my parents in Jammu and study there. A funny decisions at an age when everyone wanted to move away from their homes...wanted to be on their own.
So I joined BSF School in Jammu...where I met some wonderful people, my best friends...who inspired this earlier post of mine - The Gift Of Friends.
I had remained in touch with one of them all these years...he's been a good friend through all my difficult times...my angel.... who incidentally looks like Brad Pitt (:-)))
With one I have been in touch on and off...but no contact for last 5 years...till one day in March she found me on Orkut. And hats off to her for also finding the absconding one from our group on Batchmates...whom we hadn't heard from for the last 17 years.
Thanks Param...for the efforts to get us all in touch again...and hope we keep it like this till we are doddering old fools!!!
I agree with her when she quotes Richard Bach "Can miles truly separate you from friends... If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there? "

3) A day in the year 1991 - I had been very restless since morning...around 4:00 PM Mom came home...looking totally zonked. She'd been in an accident. Her car had been hit by a truck and had gone turtle. Her words...witnesses to the accident hadn't expected her to survive...but she came out with out a scratch.
A little later I realised my dog Sausage was not around. He was known to be an Awaara (vagabond), so everyone just said he'll come back on his own, but I had this sinking feeling and by 7:00 I was hysterical. We went out searching for him and found him crushed to death close by...a small shop owner said a truck struck him around 4:00.
A coincidence???

4) 1994...Diagnosed with a medical problem, visits to the hospital became a routine. A child simply terrified of pricks and medicines was poked around the whole day, given some 18 pills to digest in a single day. What a fuss I made...I would howl and cry...till one day I saw my parents crying. That was it...I decided...no more crying :-)
Overnight I became this brave girl who was smiling and joking around the whole day...a girl with complete faith in God and the doctors who would help her pull through this difficult time...a girl loved and admired by all around her... the doctors, nurses, other patients, family and friends...
No matter what happens...I am now able to smile from behind the tears...I am always able to see the silver lining in the cloud. It wasn't nice being ill…but it made me a strong girl...and man...am I proud of myself...

5) 1995...I had been ill for nearly 6-7 months then...in and out of the hospital...another complication of my problem had caused my blood cell count to fall drastically...it was way, way below the danger mark...the treatment was not working...
I could hear the doctor tell my parents that this was it...they didn't expect me to survive the night and I could be taken home to ease the pain...
My whole life flashed before me...I thought of all the things I should have done, wanted to do...and all the things I should not have done...I decided...I AM NOT GOING TO DIE...
They say it was my will power only...well...I really don’t know...I just know that I made a pact with God...If he gave me a chance I would live a life with no regrets...
I do what I want to do, what I think is right, give my 100% to everything I do cause I don't know if I will get another chance or not!

6) 1996...I had had a successful life saving operation, health was picking up. Life was good as I was continuing my studies and doing well. One day I saw my mom was very sad. Someone had made a comment...that with my illness I was a liability to my parents... and she was so unlucky.
I don't know what made me say to her...You'll be proud of me Mom...and I will work so hard and earn loads of money...more than that ladies children earn...
Even though my interests lay elsewhere and I never wanted to have anything to do with computers, IT WAS the high paying industry and so I decided to do this computer diploma and pursue an IT career...no regrets now...considering I have a friend who says I am grossly overpaid!!!

7) 25th March 2008...the details of this day to follow...

You are welcome to join in this writing prompt. Simply add the links below to the bottom of your post and let Jessica know to add yours to the list!

jen with seven windows of my soul
Jessica with Eleven Windows
Tracy from Tiny Mantras
Defiant Muse from Musings...
LSM with Windows
Mrs. Prufrock
Sugarplum's Mom
jakelliesmom
Arwen
Faking It
Sophisticat
Magpie with windows
Katy with windows
Mary with seven windows of my soul
BA with come to my windows
Slouchy with there are places I remember
Ivy Brown's Stoop

3 comments:

Param said...

Wow.

Beautiful glimpse into ur soul through the windows you have chosen to open in this blog. Few things i never knew ......... Never knew about the pain u had gone through. Wish I was there with you in ur difficult times. But lets do a pact - even though we may forget to share our happiness, lets make it a point to reach each other in difficult times.

Ur mention abt aunty's accident reminded me abt a incident which I have never been able to rationalise. Few years back my youngest masi was visiting India and she met some yogi who told her that 13th April of that year is very difficult day for her husband. He then told her that normally I would have done some pja for you, but I can see u don't believe in that stuff, so just donate / do prayer in gurudwara of ur choice. She did that. During that time of their visit they were staying at my mom's uncle place (who had a cat for last 7 years). On 13th the day passed without any event - except that the cat died. I have never been able to comprehend this weird co-incidence.

And thanks for flateering comments about me :-)

Manpreet said...

Param...i hope to see ur bog with ur seven windows soon...

Param said...

Hmmmm
One of these days maybe..

But when are u going to finish this blog?
What happened on 25th March? That was ur visit to India right?