Pocket-SizedDreams

Do you ever close your eyes and travel back to your childhood dreams? Mine weren’t just one thing, they were like a whole box of crayons – bright and bursting with color! I wanted to be the girl who could whip up yummy food, make pictures that looked real, and maybe even smash a cricket ball (okay, maybe not smash it, but at least play the game in fact all street games!) and Studies too. It wasn’t just about doing everything, it was about trying everything life threw my way, learning new things, and having exciting adventures. That’s what being an all-rounder meant to me.

Maybe I was a little stubborn or just a kid who thought she could do anything, but at 10 years old, I really wanted to learn how to make jowar roti on that special mud stove, the chulha. Sneaking off to my friend’s house to figure out how to roll that flatbread with my hands wasn’t just about learning a new skill. It was about never wanting someone to say, “You don’t even know how to do that?” I didn’t need to be a master, but I hated the idea of not knowing anything at all. Even as a little kid, the thought of someone pointing out a gap in my knowledge bugged me. And guess what? It still does today! It even pushes me to learn so much that it gets a little out of hand. Becoming a distraction in itself it was about proving that nothing was out of reach.

Life had other things in store for me after school. My heart belonged to fashion, but fate took me on a different path. (We can talk about that over chai sometime!) So, I found myself studying medical electronics – a complete left turn! But guess what? I fell in love with it! The challenge, the problem-solving, the chance to make a difference – it all sparked a new kind of passion within me.

Here’s the thing, though. As women, our dreams often get tangled up with the well-being of the people we love. We make adjustments, shift our paths, all with the hope of creating a happy haven for them. And that’s exactly what happened to me. My career took a surprising turn from sales engineer to salon owner N now Tech Industry. But I am learning.  The beauty industry was a whole new world, but true to form with my usual eagerness, I took on learning makeup and hairstyling.  And even for Tech industry I am learning from scratch. Why? Because that’s who I am – someone who wants to be an all-rounder. (Too much I know.)

When I say ‘all-rounder,’ what does that mean? An all-rounder is generally someone who excels in everything. That’s the definition, right? There’s nothing that this person should not be aware of, correct? The truth is, being the perfect all-rounder feels more and more impossible. Sure, I love being a gym rat, whipping up delicious meals, and being there for my loved ones. The best part is overthinking and being oversensitive, which are additional bonuses or labels, you could say. But sometimes, late at night I feel I am falling short. There are no universities offering degrees in “Guaranteed Happiness for Loved Ones,” right? It hurts to see them stressed, weighed down, or simply going through the motions.

Looking around, I see the weight on everyone’s shoulders – the deadlines that loom, the worries about loved ones, the feeling like there just aren’t enough hours in the day. It makes my heart clench. Is this what it means to be the all-rounder I’ve always strived to be? Can I truly keep everyone perfectly happy, or is that just a beautiful, impossible dream?

A quiet voice whispers in my ear, questioning if I’m even cut out for this constant juggling act. Maybe it’s not about being an all-rounder, but about finding a balance. Maybe it’s about accepting that, even with all the love in the world, we can’t fix everything.

But then, another voice, stronger and more familiar, speaks up. It’s the voice of who I am. It’s the voice that craves new experiences, that feels a responsibility to those I love, that can’t ignore the hurt in another’s eyes. This sensitivity, this desire to connect – it’s not a burden, it’s a gift. It’s what makes me, me.

Life’s a beautiful mess, isn’t it? We juggle dreams, responsibilities, and the ever-present desire to make those around us happy. But what if the true magic lies not in being an all-rounder, but in embracing the beautiful chaos? What if happiness is about the journey, the growth, and the connections we make along the way? So…

Let’s rewrite the definition of “all-rounder” together.