Different phases of this girl from Mumbai

Every woman goes through a lot of different interesting phases in life. The scene has been no different for me than any other ordinary woman. I call the phases I have gone through in life as different roller coaster rides with completely different and life changing experiences. I was born and brought up in Mumbai, did my schooling in Mumbai, graduation in Commerce, post graduate diploma in Actuarial Science soon after which I landed myself a job in the same field where I worked for ten years. I have gone through three major phases in my life till date – first being a studious book worm, second being an employed salaried girl who juggled job and studies and the third, being the mother of a two year old son.

When I look back, I feel that I seemed to struggle in all these phases. I was very studious in my school days, admired by everyone. I used to be the role model for many of my peers. I received a lot of praise and recognition from my teachers and elders for being the kind of girl I was. This was what I call the most ‘rosy’ phase of my life. But I failed to actually feel the ‘awe’ that everyone had for me at that time. I used to drown myself in books and hardly used to do the usual masti that friends of my age used to engage in. Many also found me bit weird due to this nature of mine. All in all, I was a God-loving, satisfied soul knowing nothing but to excel in studies.

My studiousness took a downward trend during my college days and in the later years. My association with books and studies however continued. I tried taking up courses in finance and then did a one year post graduate diploma in actuarial science. I landed myself a job and it is during my working years that I shed my studiousness and began exploring life a little. I bloomed from being a shy and reserved person to a more out-spoken and fun-loving person. I think this is the second phase in which I saw a whole lot of changes in my personality and life experiences. I had lot of real-life experiences that made me more mature and open-minded. I also had some very sad events happening like losing my mother all of a sudden which made me a much stronger individual who could face life challenges more bravely than before. I started reading a lot of self-help books during this phase to enrich myself. I found lot of life lessons hidden in many books through experiences of people who turned great from ordinary, some good thoughts and how people faced challenges and turned things around by their attitude and spirit. I explored few places through my job outings and enjoyed life thoroughly as well during this phase. I would describe myself as being the independent, free-thinking, lively and enthusiastic girl who could do whatever she liked and I did enjoy life to the fullest during this phase.

The third phase which I am currently in is the post marriage phase of a responsible young woman. I got married to this young man who works in a bank and who could understand me as a person completely. We were blessed with a son two years back and now I am the proud mother of a two year old son. This phase has again been a roller coaster ride for me as it saw a sea of changes in me. I shed the ‘girly me’ to transform into the ‘motherly me’. I shed the independent free thinking avatar to a more ‘concern for all’ mature avatar with an eye for everyone’s concerns. I had my days when I used to feel I was not living life to the fullest as I used to in my earlier phases. But then I realized, that there was a deeper meaning in living life happily and satisfied than just running around in some world of fantasy. I left my job to take care of my son. It did hurt me at first but then I realized how much my son needed me at this time and this sacrifice was not a sacrifice at all. Yes, I may not be having the fun and excitement that other women may be having but there is a different kind of contentment if you are happy from within at the end of the day. My marriage and giving birth and taking care of my son have made me more patient, more humble and more mature than I was in the earlier phases. I read books when I find time and give a minute or two to ponder about some life quotes or thoughts that I come across. It gives me great satisfaction to read and learn from experiences of others who have had their own set of struggles in life.

I hope to share my own experiences and benefit some reader sitting far away just as I got satisfaction and inspiration by reading myself. I want to post not just my own experiences but also certain lessons from whatever I have read so that someone finds it useful just as I did. I want to discover the writer in me, the person in me and so I want to let my thoughts flow freely. I hope to be as open-minded as possible in my writings and discussions. I want to bring a positive outlook in my writings rather than merely stating my life experiences. This being my first real blog, I would like to wind up by saying hope you liked reading it. I hope to post many more soon.