The wheels that rolled

I stopped. I had two options in front of me. A. Continue with the ride that had become too painful to enjoy. B. Discontinue and walk back.

No one cared about which option I chose. No one knew I was skating anyways. It was all about me. Whether I wanted to reach my goal, that I had set minutes ago or was I ready to give up?

The goal was to skate from hostel to the IIT main gate and then return. Close to six kilometers. I had done it before. But never with this pair of skates. This one with attached shoes was smaller for my feet. But I had taken the challenge. And it soon proved to be so painful. There was hardly any space for the toe. It got too squeezed in, as I kept struggling and soon it was hurting. With each roll forward, it hurt. I had to decide.

I was about to unbuckle the skates, and walk back to hostel. Bare foot. Main gate might have been a kilometer away. And then suddenly something happened. I heard a voice. It came from within.

'Isn't this how life is? Things don't always turn out the way you thought them to. Difficulties pop in from nowhere. The calculations go wrong and giving up appears to be the easiest option. But would you really like doing that? Just because it hurts? Can't you still complete the journey which you began with so much passion and excitement? Will you let the small shoe decide how you live? Can't you still talk to air, roll on wheels, and roll faster than before? How could you forget the phrase that when the going gets tough, the tough gets going? Or are you even tough?'

I picked option A. I took the complete round trip. I talked to air, rolled on wheels and let my toe fight for itself. Yes, some skin did wear off on both the feet and the hallux is still swolen. But then I felt powerful. I made the right choice. And I learnt a little more about life. I grew up a little more.

4 Comments:

  1. dhruv said...
    i might be a bit harsh while saying this but this is just pathetic..! it was nothing more than your ego that kept you going! the saner decision would've been to go back, get a pair of skates which fit you properly and do it all over again OR to just remove those skates and complete it by simply walking...

    life is difficult, yes, but there are different ways to resolve your problems. You dont become "great" just because you applied brute force to solve a problem...
    amrit said...
    @Dhruv

    No yaar. You are not harsh at all. I think what you have said makes perfect sense.

    But may be I was thinking more on the line of testing my limits! Or something like that. Nothing to be great or anything. I thought anyone could walk. Was I any better? Yeah sounds a lot like ego! :)

    It's always great to get an honest comment. Thanks man!
    dhruv said...
    I think what you were trying to point out that there will be many occassions in our lives when we have to make do with whatever we have. At these times we might feel that it is easier to give up than to make best of whatever we have. Its good but there is always an another way. It might not be apparent and it might be even worse but the outcome might be better. When you have a choice, exercise it, because there will be a few times in ones life that we dont have a choice and there is nothing in this world that can prepare us for it! It is at this time we need to be mentally strong ;)
    amrit said...
    @Dhruv

    Agree to you completely. May be mine was just a dummy exercise for the real thing! :)

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