A New Beginning

by Gauri Trivedi

[box]What does it feel like to live a dream of many years in the future? Gauri Trivedi does just that. She jumps to the future to live a dream – and you will soon realize just how magical it is. Read on.[/box]

It has been an unhurried ascent, at my own pace, at the right time. And because for so many years now, I have never stepped out of the house to be someplace I am required to be for my own self, other than a doctor’s appointment, I am kind of unsure if this is actually happening.

Technically speaking, I have been up and running, going places every single day. School projects, art class, gymnastics, vacations, flu shots, special meals, birthday parties, all these and more, none of it insignificant. All that while never losing sight of this day which would come to me, sooner or later.

In a crowded bookstore, I sit in a corner admiring all those who find time to come look for books, read them, enjoy them. There are some who flip through pages of one book after the other as if they are not sure what they want to read or buy. There are a few others who know what they are looking for and are quick to locate it, purchase it and leave. And there are some who pick up a book randomly and get so immersed in it, they just stand there reading page after page, losing track of time. It is this, the last kind of a reader I feel deeply connected to, the one who picks up a book with an unbiased mind and gives it a chance.

The spot I sit can hardly be called quiet as it carries a special announcement of “Author’s book signing” and so every once in a while someone comes carrying a copy of my book, eager to get me pen a few words and my signature on it. They come with a smiling face and curious eyes, trying to relate a part of the book to its author, an attempt to match the author’s personality to the contents of the book. I have been here all morning, partly to bask in the moderate success my first book has gathered, partly to get inspired. The thrill of finally seeing your name in print is no greater than observing a reader actually pick up your book and lose herself in it.

I have always wondered what authors felt like when people stood in a queue for autographs holding out their piece of work. Important? Pleased? Successful? Or all of it? I think they feel appreciated, more than anything.

It has been a long wait, but finally here I am, at the end of this road where new horizons await. From here, there are endless possibilities. Today holds the promise of a new tomorrow. Now and then, for a couple of seconds, my mind wanders and worries about the kids. It is a habit impossible to shake off. Even when you leave them, you take them with you wherever you go.

But this worry doesn’t last for long. I shrug it off. My kids are grown up now; they can take care of themselves, just like I have taught them to. They are sensible, fun loving and responsible. Barring an occasional hiccup, they never gave me a chance to complain. And so today I will not let those worries keep me from the pleasure that comes with the realization of an aspiration I held close to my heart – an aspiration that I put behind everything that came my way, but never let go.

Today is not about the children or about the past two decades spent growing up as a family. Today is not about all the roles I played in making my home a wonderful place for all of us. Today is about me, the fulfillment of a lifelong dream and new beginnings.

P.S.: The last time I made plans for the next decade, they kind of backfired so I am understandably skeptical this time around. Ok, so ‘backfired’ maybe the wrong word here, maybe I should say my actions didn’t live up to my projections. Nah, that sounds too harsh. I know, the perfect thing to say would be, my dreams are still alive!

Gauri Trivedi is a former business law professional who makes the law at home these days. A Mom to two lovely daughters (ages 5.5 and 1.5 years), her days are filled with constant learning and non- stop fun. All of her “mommy time” goes into writing and finds itself on her blog pages http://messyhomelovelykids.blogspot.com/ & http://pastaandparatha.blogspot.com/ and if she is not writing she is definitely reading something!

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