I am not much of a ”babies” or a ”kids” person…in fact they are quite annoying as far as I am concerned…but I must grudgingly admit that some of the memories I cherish are of my children as they grew up. One of the really vivid memories I have of my daughter Nidhi (who is now 12 going on 18) was when she was about a year and a half old. I was then what they call a homemaker these days- basically didn’t have a job and spent hours with Nidhi trying to teach her to talk, walk, eat by herself etc…actually walking was the toughest part…she just would NOT take that first step. I remember getting really frustrated that she would not even try . I used to think- well how hard can it be ? All she needs to do is to put her foot firmly on the ground and move :-).
Then one day , after a little bit of cajoling, helping and encouraging she took her first step…it made news in the family and the neighbourhood!! But the most delighted of us all was Nidhi herself. She couldn’t quite believe that she’d actually done it. She was all smiles and then there was no stopping her.
So why am I telling you this story? Well, I had always wondered what she must have felt like before she tried,at that moment and days after…was it that kind of relief that one experiences after being to a dentist and having a tooth pulled only to find that it was no big deal, was it the kind of joy that Maria Sharapova must have felt after she won her first title in Wimbledon after years and years of practise…I’ll never know.
What I do know is that I have been exactly like Nidhi was before she took her first step…reluctant, lazy and even scared - of fundraising. I had indulged myself these past years of being an ”advocate” …it was easy to advise, tell people to go out there are raise money…how hard can it be? Till someone turned around and said ..well have you tried?
It was time to grow up and an opportunity presented itself. GiveIndia was encouraging individuals to raise money for charity and it was an opportunity that I did not want to pass up [Of course, I'd agreed with my husband that if I didn't raise the minimum 25K that was required, he'd give it to me himself instead of the many diamonds that he's tried to buy me but I've never shown the remotest interest in :-)]. So with a great deal of trepidation I wrote a mail to a handful [actually just 2 of my best friends ;-)]that simply said will you give me money for charity if I asked you? I was waiting to be laughed at, snubbed, bullied for the rest of my life but guess what…both of them within minutes of my mail made a pledge of Rs 5 K each and there was no snigger, no teasing, no being called a ”chugger” [UK fundraising slang for charity mugger :-)]. Well, that was my first step…it was difficult to have taken it I must admit but then there was no stopping me. I wrote to people who were friends of friends whom I’d met once or twice (one of these pledged a 1000 GBP), to relatives who I’d ignored for many many years (one of these pledged 25K), to ex neighbours (one of these gave me Rs 5 K)…and I met more than my minimum target . There were even people that simply heard that I was fundraising and pledged their support. Of course, there were a lot more who laughed, some ignored my mail completely and some promised but never paid up , some have begun to avoid me…but guess what I dont feel bad at all . I guess this is quite like Nidhi coming up against the spiral staircase that she didn’t manage to climb for many months after she’d begun to walk but she didn’t stop trying. To her, it was something that from then on needed to be done.
Well, I didn’t mean to get soppy here and I never ever thought I’d be the kind to draw from a child’s experience but here I am , having taken my first step, almost gloating at what I’ve accomplished (big word that but it was no mean task for me- for those that know me well also know I HATE asking people for anything ) but realise that as an adult I cant be happy with a ”first step”…I have to climb that staircase and quickly before the bones creak and die lest my soul doesn’t rest in peace :-).
I just want to thank you for being instrumental in my ”accomplishment” - some of you for setting a great example yourself ,others for being like the parent that cajoles her child to take that first step and yet others for simply being such positive and encouraging people.
My biggest lesson…its the first step that is the hardest and now the spiral staircase beckons :-)!!
Hello
Hope this finds you well!!
What can I say …. I can”t agree more!!
Deepa