Eight years ago, I was at crossroads. I was in college and had cleared a top software company’s interview. It required me to train in Mysore, and then eventually get placed in one of their corporate centers, none of which were in North India. Even though my parents were happy that I had landed a job before the college ended, they had their misgivings about sending me off so far. No one in the family had moved out for job, yet. It took a lot of convincing to get them to agree to it.

My new life was was a total contrast to my life at home until now. Our training hours were the usual 9-5, but the training and project work ensured we all worked late into the nights, and then had to be promptly back at 9 in the morning. And all this, without anyone waking me up in the morning, with a ready breakfast. Even though our schedules were crazy, they insisted on making us responsible. Sometimes, I did up get on time, get ready, head to the cafeteria for breakfast before making it to the training center. But a lot of times, I missed breakfast too. Weekends were slightly better. We caught up on sleep and assignments and occasionally went out to explore the city. Now as I look back, I realize how it was making us all grow into independent individuals, especially people like me who had hitherto been carefully kept under the parental wings. This little hatching was finally finding the wings to fly.

The training go over and I was placed in the Bangalore campus. The three years that I spent In Bangalore were, undoubtedly, the best years of my life. This idea to #StartANewLife, yet again, was the awesome-est thing. Ever. I lived an independent life. I worked hard in office, harder at the extra curricular activities. It was not all hunky dory though. Since there was no “helicopter parenting” now, I also made a complete mess of my eating habits like giving up on breakfast, milk and fruits. I fell ill, very ill. I had to undergo a 6 month homeopathy treatment. I also gained a lot of weight. But eventually, it all was for good measure. I ook up dancing to get rid of the weight, and made the most awesome friends ever. The years went by in a jiffy.

Three years later, I was at crossroads again. The then to-be-husband was in Delhi and I, in Bangalore. The wedding date had been fixed. Husband had had enough of Bangalore in less than 2 years. I had to relocate. #StartANewLife, yet again. The rest, as they say, is history. I shifted back to the coop, got married and settled down. Eventually became a mother.

And now? Waiting for a new start 🙂