At the crossroads of history !
'Standing at the cross roads of history', is such a well known and important phrase.
Reading it again, in Andrew Solomon's book, Far and Away, made me think of a few things.
Yesterday was Aryan's last day at school. He is done with the first 10 years of schooling and now after the 10th grade exams, he will embark on a whole new chapter in his life. He is, in a way, standing at the crossroads of history. His own history, mind you, but history nonetheless. After all, each one of us is the most important character in his or her own story.
When Aryan came home from school he didn't seem particularly upset about the closure of such a major chapter in his own life. I think it's because he knows that so much more is now going to happen. Life has great things in store for him.
Watching him reminded me of my last day at school decades ago. I still remember that I was relieved that school was at an end. I hated my school and I distinctly remember one of the girls crying in class on the last day and wondering, "what's wrong with this girl ?" I guess I was excited about the days to come.
I was sure that the future would be better than the past.
I was standing at the crossroads of history.
5 years later when I finished college, I was again only mildly sad about the fabulous time that I was leaving behind. I had loved College but I was excited about the future. I was about to go to study in the United States and the future held so much promise.
I was standing on the cross roads of history and ready to plunge ahead.
I was sure that future would be better than the past
Six years later, I broke down as I sat in the departure lounge of the Logan Airport, Boston, as I left my beloved United States to return back to India. I loved my friends in the US and my life there and was heartbroken to leave the States and I fell on my knees and kissed the floor as I boarded the return flight.
But still there was tremendous hope about the future. I was to return to India and start work with General Electric Plastics and start a whole new chapter in my life.
I was sure that future would be better than the past.
I was once again standing on the crossroads of history.
Working for GE, getting married, and leaving GE to start my own business were again all major crossroads in life. Each time, there was sadness at leaving behind a major chapter of my life but there was always hope about the future. The crossroads lead to greater happiness and a better future.
A few years later Namrata was born and then Aryan was born and life continued to change and there were always happy new events to look forward towards.
There was always sadness at the end of a road travelled, but there was always excitement about the new road on which I was embarking.
I started running at the age of 38 and the last 12 years have just been completely awesome.
My dad always used to tell me that his life used to change dramatically every 10 years. Mine has been perhaps changed more or less in the same pattern . Every decade has seen great changes take place.
Yesterday, over lunch, my mom and I were discussing the health issues of a relative and my mom suddenly asked me. "Amit, How much life insurance do you have ?"
The question took my thoughts to the question of my mortality and the well being of those I will leave behind.
I turned 50 , seven months ago. And I realised that once again I am perhaps at a new crossroad.
5O is such a major milestone and I wondered what the next decade will bring !
Will my strength ebb now ? Is it time to start packing up ?
Will I be able to run the races and distances and speeds that I still want to ? How many comrades are left in these legs ?
Must I look at the decade to come with the excitement that I've had at each crossroad in the past or will the half century that has gone past be the glory days of my life?
For a while, I hesitated.
Can the future, now that I am 50, be even better than the past ?
Andrew Solomon one of the greatest journalists of our time, writes in his book, Far and Away, about his 9th grade teacher who used to keep using the phrase, 'standing at the crossroads of history' in describing the lives of the great important figures (Ramses II, Catherine the Great, Napoleon, Thomas Jefferson).
Every time the teacher used the phrase, 'standing at the crossroads of history', young Andrew Solomon envisioned them as brave men and women who disregarded traffic lights, turning sharply left or right where everyone else had planned on proceeding straight ahead.
I like that vision. To think of every major decade as a traffic light with options on how I wish to proceed.
I think only I have to decide what I want the future to hold.
The direction that I want my life to take is of my own choosing.
And I want the decade to come to be the best years of my life.
Good health, a happy family and loads and loads of great exotic runs around the world await me.
Ever Onwards then, through the the traffic lights of history !!
'Standing at the cross roads of history', is such a well known and important phrase.
Reading it again, in Andrew Solomon's book, Far and Away, made me think of a few things.
Yesterday was Aryan's last day at school. He is done with the first 10 years of schooling and now after the 10th grade exams, he will embark on a whole new chapter in his life. He is, in a way, standing at the crossroads of history. His own history, mind you, but history nonetheless. After all, each one of us is the most important character in his or her own story.
When Aryan came home from school he didn't seem particularly upset about the closure of such a major chapter in his own life. I think it's because he knows that so much more is now going to happen. Life has great things in store for him.
Watching him reminded me of my last day at school decades ago. I still remember that I was relieved that school was at an end. I hated my school and I distinctly remember one of the girls crying in class on the last day and wondering, "what's wrong with this girl ?" I guess I was excited about the days to come.
I was sure that the future would be better than the past.
I was standing at the crossroads of history.
5 years later when I finished college, I was again only mildly sad about the fabulous time that I was leaving behind. I had loved College but I was excited about the future. I was about to go to study in the United States and the future held so much promise.
I was standing on the cross roads of history and ready to plunge ahead.
I was sure that future would be better than the past
Six years later, I broke down as I sat in the departure lounge of the Logan Airport, Boston, as I left my beloved United States to return back to India. I loved my friends in the US and my life there and was heartbroken to leave the States and I fell on my knees and kissed the floor as I boarded the return flight.
But still there was tremendous hope about the future. I was to return to India and start work with General Electric Plastics and start a whole new chapter in my life.
I was sure that future would be better than the past.
I was once again standing on the crossroads of history.
Working for GE, getting married, and leaving GE to start my own business were again all major crossroads in life. Each time, there was sadness at leaving behind a major chapter of my life but there was always hope about the future. The crossroads lead to greater happiness and a better future.
A few years later Namrata was born and then Aryan was born and life continued to change and there were always happy new events to look forward towards.
There was always sadness at the end of a road travelled, but there was always excitement about the new road on which I was embarking.
I started running at the age of 38 and the last 12 years have just been completely awesome.
My dad always used to tell me that his life used to change dramatically every 10 years. Mine has been perhaps changed more or less in the same pattern . Every decade has seen great changes take place.
Yesterday, over lunch, my mom and I were discussing the health issues of a relative and my mom suddenly asked me. "Amit, How much life insurance do you have ?"
The question took my thoughts to the question of my mortality and the well being of those I will leave behind.
I turned 50 , seven months ago. And I realised that once again I am perhaps at a new crossroad.
5O is such a major milestone and I wondered what the next decade will bring !
Will my strength ebb now ? Is it time to start packing up ?
Will I be able to run the races and distances and speeds that I still want to ? How many comrades are left in these legs ?
Must I look at the decade to come with the excitement that I've had at each crossroad in the past or will the half century that has gone past be the glory days of my life?
For a while, I hesitated.
Can the future, now that I am 50, be even better than the past ?
Andrew Solomon one of the greatest journalists of our time, writes in his book, Far and Away, about his 9th grade teacher who used to keep using the phrase, 'standing at the crossroads of history' in describing the lives of the great important figures (Ramses II, Catherine the Great, Napoleon, Thomas Jefferson).
Every time the teacher used the phrase, 'standing at the crossroads of history', young Andrew Solomon envisioned them as brave men and women who disregarded traffic lights, turning sharply left or right where everyone else had planned on proceeding straight ahead.
I like that vision. To think of every major decade as a traffic light with options on how I wish to proceed.
I think only I have to decide what I want the future to hold.
The direction that I want my life to take is of my own choosing.
And I want the decade to come to be the best years of my life.
Good health, a happy family and loads and loads of great exotic runs around the world await me.
Ever Onwards then, through the the traffic lights of history !!
I refer to my "crossroads" as "chapters" in my life and there have been many and I have written about them. Many, particularly as I have got older, have overlapped and the many chapters I have written are not yet complete as I remember things and go back and put them down.
ReplyDeleteWhy have I done it? Two reasons. So that I remember as I get older all those things, good and bad, and I realise there have been more good than bad and secondly that when the time is right to give it to my children in case they are interested in knowing more about their father because I know very little about my father.
I have also found that the whole exercise has been good for me and I really recommend it to everyone even if only for their own enjoyment.
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