Letting go...

Letting go of kids is difficult for most parents. I am no exception. It is the final 'severing of the umbilical cord'. And rather difficult when you have been a parent for over 20 years.

For most parents this comes at a difficult situation in life. There are job pressures and problems of retirement looming large on the horizon. Financial pressures, health and mid life crises add to the uncertainty. And therefore trying to cope with children moving out or asserting themselves can be rather trying.

For some the 'empty nest syndrome' can also change their marriage. Some couples get along better. Others don't. It becomes imperative that we as parents try living our life alone without the kids. The vision of the old couple sitting on a bench in the park seems larger than life. It almost seems like the initial days of marriage- just the two - but different - since life has revolved around the kids for over two decades- it can get very very lonely.

It is said that saying goodbye to the children does not mean you are losing them but it should put the relationship on a new footing. And so it shall be. After all our main purpose was to help them grow to be mature and independent young adults. It is time they take charge of their lives. It is time for us to let them go. But we still remain their parents - and that job is never really done as long as they need us.

I realise....

I realise that I cannot relate anymore to my favourite simon and garfunkel song.

I realise that growing old has nothing to do with advancing years.

Let's leave it at that.

On a serious note....

Work culture seems to have undergone a drastic change. I remember when we finished our postgraduate course. Of the sixteen of us, some got married, some waited to get married, some went abroad to study. There were few of us who remained - looking for a job. It was not uncommon for girls those days to have studied and then just stay back at home. No eyebrows were raised. It was not unusual at all. Jobs were rather scarce those days. Especially since they had to be within 10 km of home. There was this particular post that we all applied for at a well known research institute only to have our applications rejected. We were over qualified. But when luck struck, few of us did manage to get jobs. We did our best to retain them. We worked hard and really strived to do our best. And that has stood in good stead even now.

What is surprising therefore is that the same perseverance and sincerity is not evident in youngsters these days. Jobs are there aplenty. We never had these opportunities. However, the urge to learn is strangely missing.

Most of us do not have the good fortune of working out of passion. That is for the few lucky ones. It is true (even if most do not want to admit it) that we are working for money. Since we are compelled to work, life would be easier if only we made an attempt to do justice to our job .

Of the 24 hours each day, eight, are at the place of work. If we can make that substantial time into one of learning and developing a positive attitude, it would go a long way in improving the remaining part of the day.

I remember a colleague at the college I worked earlier. She quit her job and many years later I met her and found that she was a stockbroker. I remember asking her whether she found it difficult shifting to a totally different line. And what she told me has always remained with me. She said 'Education is never wasted. Even if you ever change your field, the experience that you would have gained earlier will always provide a good foundation'.

Be sincere and true in whatever you do. This will not just make you a better employee it would also make you a better person. For the sincerity would pass on to any task - personal or professional. I have spoken. AMEN.