I remember myself having been a shy child.… and there was another ‘me’ which hated my shy side which kept shouting into my ears ‘stop being shy, don’t blush…u gotta be smart!’….and then next time I had to go in front of 5 people, yet again I would feel that same old hot blush going past my face.. I thought hard, how to get past this...
I was already 13 by now… I decided that I gotta gain confidence..whats best for that..yeah, learn a new art so that I know something which so many others dont…?? so off I went to learn embroidery/ stitching etc. etc … so one day when I was walking through the ‘not so rich’ neighbourhood to my teacher’s class, out came a dog from nowhere, bit me so hard that I could nt walk for the next 15 days! .. The doctor who examined me told me that I was lucky (does that apply!!???)about one thing, that the dog brushed against the tendon on my leg, but luckily dint injure it, or else I would ve limped all my life… did I hear that right?? Limp?? Ohh God! Yesss.. I am lucky!!
I ve heard my mom say I inherited my dad’s strong muscular legs…what can I do best with my new found luck? Wait a minute!...Yess.. I can give a shot at the tracks… can i???? …a shy girl on the tracks?? Hard to imagine!!! I read somewhere, always say ‘I can’, so that u finally ‘can’… so I kept telling myself… ‘I CAN’!!!!
So, once again came our School athletic meet… off we went shouting slogans for ‘Blue house’ (we had 4 houses Blue, Green, Yellow and Violet), recoined to ‘The Royal Blues’ just for the 2 days! ;) .. I had big holes in my belly… my chest swelling with anticipation/tension … they distributed the ‘chest no:s’ .. mine was ‘13’ … whew! Have nt I heard 13 is unlucky!!
First came the 800 m qualifier, and I did it.. qualified! This was not my expectation, I mean not the qualification part but the 800 m race.. I was wanting to use all my energy for 400 m and I was scared if I would lose it… some one gave me Glucose.. I had an extra spoon there..:)
Then came the moment… until then I had heard lots of noises around me.. but now, when I knelt down and waited for the whistle to blow, I could just hear my controlled breathing.. trying to be calm… I was aware that the crowd would be cheering for the previous year’s champion and I even heard someone say the possible winners.. no one knows me to be an athlete still…
The whistle blew and I took off.. Running on bear foot … once off I could hear my own mind shouting into my ears… faster…faster!! … I could see green/yellow/violet jerseys beside me, trying hard to beat one another... I wanted to beat them all…
Then one momentary thought crossed my mind… I ll fool my mind to make my body move faster.. just imagine that the dog that bit me was running behind me aiming for my leg again.. Daaaang!!!! … now I was at my peak… I could hear ecstatic remarks…BLUE HOUSE ..come ooohhhnnn.. ..raaaan .. shhhh … yaay ..”the wind was blowing hard against my face… now what was ahead of me was just the last bit which was a straight track at the end of which I could see a satin rope.. the finishing point!!
Wait a second!!! I am all alone, no one ahead, no one beside!!.. I suddenly get the urge to turn.. I tell myself.. NO.. coz I ve imagined a dog and I want that imagination to ignite me till the end which was so near me.. Give it all’……. Closer than ever to the finish line…and then it happened…..!!!!! My chest broke into the satin line.. swelling with pride for having done ‘it’….. Blue house rejoiced! i bet the person who came second by almost 50 meters!
Once a champion on track, there is no looking back… I don’t want to be the shy girl again.. a new ‘me’ was borrn… proud at doing what I thought was impossible.. ‘I CAN!’
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