Preface

Dear Daughter,

I, your mother, have been in your current position for a long ago. I was the same as you are today, full of life. I had dreams that I wanted to follow. I laughed so loud that my jaws hurt. I made many promises to myself only to be left unfulfilled. I liked playing with dolls but I also loved playing cricket and football. Driving around the town became my passion as I grew up. And travelling the world was always at the top of my wish list.

I am a terrible dancer, yet secretly, I enjoyed dancing in the rain. I still dance when no one’s watching! I have a melodic voice but I ended up being a kitchen singer. I learnt to ride a bike and applauded myself for my achievement. I was full of the innocence of a baby.

I achieved strength on my journey from blooming into a lovely young woman to a girl. But I betrayed myself at every step. I let in a long queue of people between my dreams and me. And today, I realize, the price I paid was too high.

I fell down many times. I got up along the way healing myself and consoling ‘Maybe that’s how life was meant to be. Maybe it all won’t matter someday. Maybe it will all seem like waking up from a nightmare one day. Now at 40+, when I turn back, I still feel the pain of not standing up for myself when I should have. At the end of every day, your trials and your failures, still matter!