Neeta was sitting alone and sipping her cup of tea beside the window, early in the morning, when this thought crossed her mind.
"What if I had been such a free person in my 30s?" "what would have I done with this much of time?"
She wondered, how her life has changed in just a decade! Just a few years ago, she did not have enough time to breathe in this hour of the day.
She could see 'the younger her' in front of her eyes! She was working with 'four' hands in the kitchen, packing the lunch box for Rajiv with all the healthy foods, the salads, the steamed veggies and the healthy snacks! After all, he was told to lower his cholesterol and sugar. And the next moment, her hands were flipping the sandwich filled with the favorite cheesy veggies. This would go into her dear son Chintu's lunch box. He loved it! And just then the toaster popped up the bread slices, she had to butter it for Chintu's breakfast. The tea and the milk over the flame were also there in her mind! The mixed smell of tea, milk, butter and cheese, all filled into her nostrils and she woke up from her 'lively' dream about her past.
"And now, see, I have so much of time, sipping this tea and doing nothing!"
Those were so busy days, cooking for husband and son was so satisfying. And then doing their each and every work, keeping the house up-to-date every time and then waiting for them to come back from their respective 'second homes'! She never though about herself!
With this thought, Neeta rose from beside the window and walked to the mirror in her room. She stood in front of the full mirror and looked at her. She has changed. The slightly plump body, the white and black peppery hair, and the matching wrinkles on the face made her look like the elder sister of younger Neeta.
How that Neeta wanted to change the world! She wanted to start a school where children will learn not the regular stuff. They would learn to think on their own, they would learn to fly! And she would fly with her dreamy children! This was her dream, her ambition!
But where was her dream now? Where was the school? Where were the children flying on their ambitions? And where was she?
Why did she not follow her dream? Suddenly she became unrestful. She hurriedly moved away from in front of the mirror and sat on the bed.
She did not have any complaint from life. Her husband is at the peak of his career. Her son is away in the foreign land, studying in one of the best universities. And where is she?
She is in the same house, with her forgotten dream, with an aging body, and a lots of time in her hands!
What is she? She is an adorable wife. She is a loving mother. She is a capable homemaker. And she is ...she is...!!!
She could not think of any other role that she could have introduced to herself! This made her feel sick. She hurriedly got up and turned on the TV. She started surfing the channels and settled with her favorite music channel.
Within a few minutes, she was not thinking about her forgotten dream, nor about what she is! She was happily watching the TV and humming the soulful lyrics. In some time, she will get up, and do her regular household chore. She will never regret about not following her dream. She will not think about the children who might have learned to fly with her, in her dream school. She will never know how she could have changed the world! She would never know what she has not given to the world! She would never realize what the world has lost! Never!
"What if I had been such a free person in my 30s?" "what would have I done with this much of time?"
She could see 'the younger her' in front of her eyes! She was working with 'four' hands in the kitchen, packing the lunch box for Rajiv with all the healthy foods, the salads, the steamed veggies and the healthy snacks! After all, he was told to lower his cholesterol and sugar. And the next moment, her hands were flipping the sandwich filled with the favorite cheesy veggies. This would go into her dear son Chintu's lunch box. He loved it! And just then the toaster popped up the bread slices, she had to butter it for Chintu's breakfast. The tea and the milk over the flame were also there in her mind! The mixed smell of tea, milk, butter and cheese, all filled into her nostrils and she woke up from her 'lively' dream about her past.
"And now, see, I have so much of time, sipping this tea and doing nothing!"
Those were so busy days, cooking for husband and son was so satisfying. And then doing their each and every work, keeping the house up-to-date every time and then waiting for them to come back from their respective 'second homes'! She never though about herself!
With this thought, Neeta rose from beside the window and walked to the mirror in her room. She stood in front of the full mirror and looked at her. She has changed. The slightly plump body, the white and black peppery hair, and the matching wrinkles on the face made her look like the elder sister of younger Neeta.
How that Neeta wanted to change the world! She wanted to start a school where children will learn not the regular stuff. They would learn to think on their own, they would learn to fly! And she would fly with her dreamy children! This was her dream, her ambition!
But where was her dream now? Where was the school? Where were the children flying on their ambitions? And where was she?
Why did she not follow her dream? Suddenly she became unrestful. She hurriedly moved away from in front of the mirror and sat on the bed.
She did not have any complaint from life. Her husband is at the peak of his career. Her son is away in the foreign land, studying in one of the best universities. And where is she?
She is in the same house, with her forgotten dream, with an aging body, and a lots of time in her hands!
What is she? She is an adorable wife. She is a loving mother. She is a capable homemaker. And she is ...she is...!!!
She could not think of any other role that she could have introduced to herself! This made her feel sick. She hurriedly got up and turned on the TV. She started surfing the channels and settled with her favorite music channel.
Within a few minutes, she was not thinking about her forgotten dream, nor about what she is! She was happily watching the TV and humming the soulful lyrics. In some time, she will get up, and do her regular household chore. She will never regret about not following her dream. She will not think about the children who might have learned to fly with her, in her dream school. She will never know how she could have changed the world! She would never know what she has not given to the world! She would never realize what the world has lost! Never!
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