A Lesson in Staying Positive

Last week was about hope and shattered dreams. It was a lesson in staying positive amidst all the roadblocks and pushbacks. It began with, on the personal front, hopes for a better, different tomorrow — but as the week drew closer to the end, I was made aware that there’s still a lot of work to do. That I am not “worthy” of this better tomorrow yet. I know I am. But after a point, all you can do is stay positive. Stay prepared for the time when the tide invariably will turn.

Staying prepared is all we did. I wish I could dwell more into details. But I cannot.

Talking about the week, my daughter had her culmination day in her school. She was already saddened that it was online, not in person. Online schooling has overstayed its welcome now; she longs to visit the physical school. She misses her friends and her routine when she is surrounded by a learning environment. Staring at a computer screen with teachers and friends peering back at her is not her definition of involved learning. I am proud of how effectively she has managed schooling for the past 2 years. But I feel for her.

Anyway, she had to talk about a topic which she prepared well for and yet was extremely nervous about. The ill-timed power loss and resultant network drop made it even more terrible experience for her than what she feared. She stayed positive, joined from an iPad with a mobile hotspot. She gave her best, but she had already lost half her interest. All I and my wife could do was to explain how it was nothing to get disheartened about, to make her look at the positives. But I knew deep down that she is no longer enjoying this digital form of schooling.