By Tara Ratnam Nyati

Obstacles and Stepping stones

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The army is my home. I belong there, on the battlefield fighting for my people and land. It’s a place where adventures live in the cracks of rocks and cliffs, and victory rests inside the flowers. In this job, I get to be anything I want a bird who can swim, a dolphin who can fly or a lion ready to flee. It’s a like a whole new world wear challenges nest. As a reach to the sky, living in army patterned tents on the clouds and reaching goals in my very own hot air balloon.

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After 32 years of hard working, I realized I only had one more year to work in the army. I spent the next year enjoying it all, every adventure, every move, every win, and every cloud that once was a cliff and now became a pebble. As the year passed I started to worry about “what will I do to earn money?”, “How will I pay for the rent?!”. The year finished in the cool December, as I said bye to my army friends, I waved goodbye to my army captain and took a flight to Delhi. In Delhi, I met my wife and children. “Once they will finish there school they will set off to begin there family and career.” I thought happily seeing success in my children's eyes. Maybe one day they will sail across the sky in their very own hot air balloon.

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After 32 years of hard working, I realized I only had one more year to work in the army. I spent the next year enjoying it all, every adventure, every move, every win, and every cloud that once was a cliff and now became a pebble. As the year passed I started to worry about “what will I do to earn money?”, “How will I pay for the rent?!”. The year finished in the cool December, as I said bye to my army friends, I waved goodbye to my army captain and took a flight to Delhi. In Delhi, I met my wife and children. “Once they will finish there school they will set off to begin there family and career.” I thought happily seeing success in my children's eyes. Maybe one day they will sail across the sky in their very own hot air balloon.

Soon I began to see my prediction come true. They drove their hot air balloon towards the door and took off to seek their adventures. “Now I and my wife are left in this house and rent is getting higher too! What will we do?” I thought. “Should we move?” I asked my wife

“Yes! That way we would not have to pay so much money!” She said wearing a big smile 

Then I questioned myself and my wife, out loud “We are living perfectly in this house, things might be different there, right? Our whole life will change, we might not eat the same food or wear the same clothes! We will not have enough money to buy the house cause I retired!”

I sighed and turned to go to my room. I climbed up the wooden spiral stairs, they creaked, moaned and rattled. Once I reached the top, I looked up at my clock hanging on my wall, it was slightly tilted to the left. I went to fix it, it was 8:00 PM. I walked towards my small table in the corner of my room it was old and rusted, I had a photo of my kids on it, the photo leaned against the dusty cracked wall. I plopped down on my bed and looked out the window, I could see a black canvas with yellow dots painted on it. I put my head down on my pillow, it sank in. My eyes closed and I fell asleep to the noise of the second hand ticking tick tick tick.

I sighed and turned to go to my room. I climbed up the wooden spiral stairs, they creaked, moaned and rattled. Once I reached the top, I looked up at my clock hanging on my wall, it was slightly tilted to the left. I went to fix it, it was 8:00 PM. I walked towards my small table in the corner of my room it was old and rusted, I had a photo of my kids on it, the photo leaned against the dusty cracked wall. I plopped down on my bed and looked out the window, I could see a black canvas with yellow dots painted on it. I put my head down on my pillow, it sank in. My eyes closed and I fell asleep to the noise of the second hand ticking tick tick tick.

That morning I woke up to the smell of fresh fruits that lay uneaten on the wooden coffee table. I climbed down the stairs sleepily and trudged into the living room, as soon as I was in my wife's sight, I was startled by my wives rushed talking, “What if we buy a house there not rent one!, There must be something that retired army men live in.”. I sighed and turned to sit down.

That night I received a letter saying that there was an army colony in Hyderabad! It was free for retired army soldiers. The next morning I announced this news to my wife. Then I questioned myself and wife again,” Why should we move?!”

“You may face obstacles, but you have learned the key to life when you know how to turn them into a stepping stone. All these worries you have are obstacles now try to turn them into a stepping stone, you might learn a new way to live there that will help you deal with challenges” She said smiling, “ That's basically what you did in the army all those challenges are obstacles and the way you overcame those challenges is the way you turn them into stepping stones.” I looked at her my frown was wearing off but I still felt worried and sad.

“You may face obstacles, but you have learned the key to life when you know how to turn them into a stepping stone. All these worries you have are obstacles now try to turn them into a stepping stone, you might learn a new way to live there that will help you deal with challenges” She said smiling, “ That's basically what you did in the army all those challenges are obstacles and the way you overcame those challenges is the way you turn them into stepping stones.” I looked at her my frown was wearing off but I still felt worried and sad.

“Ok, I understand now, fine we will move there,” I said softly. I trudged back to my room, my head hung low “how can I leave this house?” I just can’t! But somewhere in my mind, there was a place saying It will be a good idea give it a try, be the risk taker you were and face this adventure with a polished smile. I remembered what my wife said The key to life is when you know how to turn an obstacle to a stepping stone. With a small smile on my face, I started to pack.

A few weeks later we were ready to board the flight. We passed immigration and security, Just before boarding the flight, I felt my face fill with great sorrow and sadness I have to leave my mind said, you must stay my heart said, Then I realized people say to follow your heart but your heart is the place where you only stay in your comfort zone, without your brain tagging behind you, you will not face the obstacles in your life that way you will never learn the key to life, turn obstacles into stepping stones. I took a deep breath, I was ready! Once I boarded the flight and it took off, I looked down at the land from the window my eyes saw myself aiming with a gun, handing out weapons and living in a small army patterned tent. Then I looked up at the sky that I once had flown across, jumping from cloud to cloud and riding in my long past hot air balloon.