This is little long (pardon me for that), despite, I thought of sharing this.
Like many amongst us, our son is our only child and like all Indian parents do, our focus and efforts are all directed towards him. Except our professional choices (smiles), he has always been part of all aspects including decision making. I am sure, you all have similar lifestyle.
After returning home, we miss him in every corner and aspect. For this week, I was WFH for the remaining week and despite being a father, I should admit, I became recluse and was unable to focus. The sense of solitude was numbing me internally. However, I explained myself (and shared it earlier) that it is no different than his absence while he was on vacation or when I am working Mon – Thursday (from client site).
All mothers on this group, you certainly remember how you all felt when got married and left your parents. I believe, you all might have had almost similar feelings.
I recollected my days when I left my parents’ home at the same age for graduation. I had that sense of little anxiety but the feeling of independent and the professional opportunities were overwhelmingly exciting. I had a whole future ahead of me and many things to do so. I never realized I would be leaving my parents or be a guest at my home forever. I would never understand why my mother’s eyes were wet or father voice quavering. I always thought, I brought them the academic laurels and they must be happy about it. I never separated myself from my parents, brother or home. They were a constant part of my life, never separable. Parents, however, knew the truth that once I leave, I would hardly return home. I never realized their loneliness. I believe, all our kids are in the same phase.
Conversely, those parents whose kids did not qualify for best schools, are they truly happy? Kids have an exciting future ahead of them. Keeping them under our care after a certain stage may stunt their growth and actually, hinders their progress. We all have a reason to be proud that our kids had a vision and dared to take the efforts and the leap. Now, it is their turn.
These thoughts are very well reflected in “Siddharth” by Hess. It tells what “parental roon” i.e. paternal loan is. I am also sharing a story, you all will like. ‘Struggle is a friend’
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.
Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily.
But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.
Neither happened!
In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were allowed to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Get off your cocoon and start to fly!!
Life is a full circle. And fulfillment of life lies in the completion of the circle.
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