Fish Out of Water
Ever since Riya could recall, she had always stayed and worked in the same comfort zones. When all her friends opted for the Science and Maths streams, she was the only girl in her class to opt for Humanities stream. She was brought up in a conventional family and later got married in a conventional family too. She always learnt to fulfil the priorities of all the members of her family first rather than looking at her needs. This was the sole reason that inspite of completing her Masters in English and studying French parellely she was never able to pursue her goal to be a devoted school teacher. She thus landed up being a French and English language tutor teaching children and adults from the comfort zone of her home. Yet suddenly after the span of almost thirteen years of her married life things took an amazingly interesting turn when one of her classmates contacted her over the social media . Mitali said " Riya , I am a trekker and avid bird watcher along with my full time IT job. Why don't you reshape your goals now and redifine your life by selecting your priorities now? Its high time you change for good. At least try once to be a fish out of water."
Riya felt a bit uneasy but things took a different turn in her life after this incident. Mitali's words acted like a turning point in her life. Thus ,that autumn , she packed her haversack and headed straight to Delhi . Mitali was already waiting for her there along with her team of ten women.Mitali said " This time we are going to Chopta , a picturesque hamlet. A trek to this village will refresh us as we will witness the splendid view of the imposing Himalayan range including Trishul, Nanda Devi and Chaukhamba. " Intially , as the started the trekking, Riya really felt like a fish out of water , but as they kept moving ahead the breathtaking view of the Himalayas literally mesmerized her . On the last day when they reached the peak , she came out of the tent and looked at the splendid sight and exclaimed" The crimson rays of the sun is indeed kissing the snow laden Himalayas. Then she looked at the Cairns arranged there near their tents. They seemed to speak to her . " Riya ,take the plunge . Be the fish out of water if need be . Make this your turning point. Set your goals . Begin your new career as a writer here. You will never get this opportunity once again in life. Thus Riya became a writer and settled in that Himalayan hamlet forever. Everytime she wrote something new or won a new award , she created a new cairn on the mountain top , a place which inspired her to choose the " Road Less Taken " and enjoy her new identity as a fish out of water.She is grateful to Mitali to help her bring a turning point in her life.
Penmancy gets a small share of every purchase you make through these links, and every little helps us continue bringing you the reads you love!