Your Choice Poem by Niitu Reddy

'YOUR CHOICE'

The day I first dreamt of my career and started looking at life with real responsibility, I never imagined I'd have to leave home and live so far away. Back then, it was all imagination, excitement, and dreams playing out in my head. Exams were done, and I was finally ready to fly abroad for my master's degree. Shopping trips were fun, meeting friends gave me so much courage, and those sleepovers were the perfect space to chitchat, gossip, and just be carefree.

There is a saying that always stuck with me, 'Inspiring incidents instill confidence.' And that is exactly what happened in my life. My parents were the ones who inspired the change in me. They taught me to value education, to keep chasing my goals, and to hold on to my values and ethics.

At the airport, my dad gave me a firm hug and a nod, the kind that said more than words could. My mother held my hands and said just two words, 'Your choice.' just that. A quiet reminder that nobody was pushing me onto that plane. I was choosing this. On August 9th, I travelled all the way to the United States to pursue my master's degree in computer science, carrying those two words with me.

Did I ever think I could manage my life without my parents? Did I ever think I could handle everyday things like running a household on my own? I believed I could handle anything, but the truth is, those first days of adjustment were tough. My friends carried me through a lot of it, more than I probably gave them credit for at the time.

During those early weeks, my tears said it all. I missed my family so much. I missed home cooked food, my mom's endless talks, my dad's quiet presence, my brother's love. I still did not feel independent. My mind felt like a puzzle I could not solve, and I could not find the confidence to believe I had chosen this life for a better tomorrow.

But I kept hearing my mother's voice in my head, 'Your choice.' It was not comfort exactly. It was accountability. I had no one to blame for how hard this was. I had chosen it, so I had to keep choosing it, every single day.

Months passed, and slowly I learned how to get along with people from all kinds of backgrounds. It was not one person who shaped me, it was a little bit from everyone, the good and the bad. Good company really does bring out good things in you, but at the end of the day, it is your own sense of who you are that carries you through.

After eight months of sailing through so many vicissitudes with an unsure mind, I finally felt something like confidence, the kind that told me I could navigate this ocean of life with my own hands on the wheel. Looking back, it was worth every bit of the struggle. Making a choice and following it through with a clear mind really can lead you somewhere good. And corporate life, I knew, still had a lot more to teach me.

In the end, it is only when we truly face life that we understand it. Every word spoken, every experience lived, holds a kind of magic. We dream big to clear the path ahead, and we struggle hard to push past our fear.

One thing I have learned about fear is this. It warns your heart. It clouds your head. But it also makes you dream, and it shows you what life really is.

Life keeps teaching us, again and again, because life is new every single day.