The Journey Within: Presidential Note: The Thistle and The Oak Tree

"By age of 5, one must know how to read."

"By age of 18, one must be dating with opposite sex."

"By age of 30, one must have a dream job and 2 kids."

"By age of 60, one must have retired."

The list is endless....

The society expectations were built into us. Perhaps, it is a reminiscence of Industrial revolution, where everything in life is templatize. One must achieve something within a specific timeline. Just like a product from a factory.

I prefer to see each one of us as different plants. Some bloom in weeks, some take years. Some live in fresh water, others prosper in desert. Some spread like the thistle, others grow tall and strong like the oak tree. As each of us is uniquely different, so do our arc of life.

I know people who graduated from college at 21 and did not get a salary job till 28.

I know people who have children and single, and those married and waited 8 to 10 years to have a child.

I know people who are millionaire at the age of 30, and those who still struggled to make the ends meet at 40.

I believe everything in life happens according to our clock. Perhaps, wherever we are right now is exactly where we need to be. Eight billion people cannot do everything in the same scheduled manner.

We are all different in our needs and goals. What is early? What is late? Compared to whom? It does not make sense to expect an oak tree to grow as fast as thistle. Your life is not on anyone else's schedule. It is your timeline. In the grandeur vision of life, nothing is off schedule.

Let us be patience and kind to those who are "off schedule" in life, including ourselves.

Friendship Toastmaster Club December 2020 Newsletter
Presidential Note