Different phases of life

                                 

By Shakespeare

                               Each of us goes through many stages and phases in our lives. Each phase has its own advantage and disadvantage. There will be goals and targets, achievements and failures, happiness and sorrows in each stage of our lives. But no man can stay in a phase forever. We have to keep on moving forward. Some stages are so easy to go through while others are challenging and hard. But the best thing about human life is we are never stuck in any phase forever. 

When I was expecting 
my daughter

                                  Motherhood is one such phase for a woman. The moment a woman finds out she is pregnant, this phase begins in her life. It begins with the joy of the good news that a new life is on the way. As days move on and become months, the joy turns into anxiety and fear. The woman with the spring in her steps now become more cautious in every step she takes. Her sleep, diet, dresses, expenses and everything else now has to be considered carefully to keep the best of the baby in mind. The woman who loves eating junk now has to ditch them for healthier food. And those binge-watchers must hit the bed early. The bodycon dresses must kiss goodbye only with a faint hope of being worn again. At last, as the due date draws near and labour begins, the pain and agony the woman go through to bring out the life she had carried so carefully for the few months is a memorable tale in every woman's life. 

                     

Bringing my daughter home 
after delivery

   The moment the baby is born then everything else goes blurry. Oh! the joy of hearing the child cry and the touch of those feeble hands is the best reward for all the hard labour and sacrifices that a mother can receive. Many of us think that this moment is the only special moment in motherhood. But, it is just the beginning. The joy grows more and more as the child grows. The very first word, first step, first-cry, first teeth, etc, brings joy to us. As the child moves from one phase into another, the parents are also moved from one phase into another. It seems like yesterday to me when I brought my daughter home from the hospital after delivery. But, it has been four years and she has started school now. The same baby that I carried in my arms in the small sleeping bag is now walking to school holding my hands. This is a new phase for me and my daughter. 

                        To each of us, there are positives and negatives in it. My daughter faces the challenge of a new environment, something that is new and strange to her. Though my daughter goes to school without crying, I observe that her face change as she draws near the gate. She knows well that her mother cannot accompany her beyond that gate. Despite it, she bravely moves forward waving goodbye. I, on the other hand, stand outside the gate craning my neck to look at my daughter as long as she is in the view, fighting back tears as loneliness hits me.  Each passing minute seems like hell sometimes. I wish for the clock to tick faster and for the evening to draw nearer. 

My daughter's first day
of school

However, when the evening comes and I go to pick up my daughter. There is a tale of victory for each of us. I have won the anxiety within me and she has won the fear within her. When she tells how she made friends, sang songs, danced, and got a star for her written works, it feels like we are lifting a trophy together. This phase will not last long, she will not hold my hands to school forever and certainly, I will not be in tears always. There might not be tale-telling for a long time, but this is the phase I am in now. And as long as I am here, I hope to make each moment better than the last. 

                                 You might be in a very hard and difficult phase of life for you, but don't worry this will pass off. We are not meant or made to stay in one stage forever. This is just a phase and we will make it through. However, if you are in the best phase of your life so far, enjoy each moment. Cherish every minute and make it memorable. For it might help you in a different phase. For all the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players (William Shakespeare).