Problem for every solution – Part 1

Mandira closed her eyes, sat on the stone wall and stretching her hands on the wall took a deep breath.

She felt it very different as she had not experienced the taciturnity for a long period. The occasional twiddle of a bird and the whiff of fresh air was an ebullient feeling.

 After about five minutes, she opened her eyes and looked around. The atmosphere was very  peaceful  and a far cry from the cacophony of the concrete jungle she was used to.

She had taken time off from her tight professional schedule and was attending a week long rejuvenation course of naturopathy.

Nothing was going right for her since the past few months. A job loss for her husband meant more pressure on her financially. Virat had his tech skills in place but being in the IT industry, he had to face the music since projects had dried up in the company he worked for.

She had seen many seasons in her life but this was the toughest. Mid life blues had set it.

 Nisha was in the tenth standard and needed more focused attention. She was good in her academics but being in the top five in her class was not enough given the high competition amongst kids in India.

Namith was doing OK in his sixth standard studies but handling a Tweenager boy was not a cake walk as his demands and expectations were growing exponentially. Internet and free flow of undesirable information available to him was a matter of concern to her.

I saw her sitting on the stone wall staring at the lush green trees.

 I walked up to her and said “Hi”

She looked back and replied “Hi, come and sit here. It is very scenic and peaceful ”.

I sat next to her and said “How are you feeling now?”

“I am feeling better ” she remarked.

 “That sounds good. But you look a bit worried “I said.

She looked at me and said “I do not know why it is happening this way. I am trying to find solution to the problems I am facing. Unfortunately, a problem surfaces out of every solution I get”

I nodded and said “This is true and happens with everyone at some point of life. It is more so when one is on the wrong side of thirties.

This is the age when responsibilities are more and no one will be available for hand holding and we do not get a shoulder to rest our troubled heads. I have also gone through such a phase and now I have changed attitude towards life.

The ambition phase of our lives is ending and with lot of responsibilities unfolding it becomes an age of Mission. We need to work not just for ourselves but for many of our family members.”

She continued “I do not know how I will be able to handle the problems that are coming to me regularly”

 I replied “Look at the situation differently. The problems you face in your life are like a series of knots. You cannot unknot all of them at one go. Have patience and start with the first knot. Slowly but steadily keep unknotting one at a time and you will end up coming out of them”

She got an alert on What App. She looked at the message and told me “This is the biggest knot I have right now”

I asked her “What is it?”

“This guy called Rohit is my colleague in office. He keeps sending me messages on Whats App. I get turned off whenever I see his message”

I asked her “Can I see the messages he has sent?”

She gave the mobile to me and after going through the messages I said “He is very apologetic and he wants to talk to you to clarify that he does not intent to pester you. Please reply him and close the issue once for all”

She was in no mood to listen to me. We sat silently for the next five minutes.

I broke the silence and said  “Let us move now. We have a very good lecture to attend. The guy is from IIT, IIM background and he is speaking about living life the way it should be lived”.

We got up and proceeded towards the lecture hall.