Old Endings Into New Beginning

Unless you can end something you cannot begin new things. An athlete works hard for five years to participate in the Olympics. In the one jump his fate is decided. If he succeeds the athlete creates a history, else he tries for the next Olympics. If the participant is old enough, he will coach the next generation. You take the experience from the old endings and put them into a new beginning. 

India spent 40 million dollars, developing the Trishul missile. But it never went into production. It was said to be a technological demonstrator. The knowledge gained from that missile helped us to develop a much more potent missile.

It's never late to start a new beginning, this is what Tulsiram in the below story showed us

Tulsiram was having a grocery shop. The shop was going well and he and his family were enjoying a decent upper-middle-class life. Tulsiram's son and daughter were studying, his wife managed the home.

All was going well for the family but suddenly, one day his wife fell ill. The disease was severe and they had to admit her to a big hospital.

Tulsiram went to his wife and said, "Don't worry dear, I will spend whatever I have to save you"

"I know this hospital is very costly, I am in the early fifties. If you spend everything on me, then what will you do for the children?", wife Umavati asked.

Tulsiram strictly said, "We will see that later, you don't worry about it".

Days passed his wife was not cured. Tulsiram had to sell his grocery shop. He even mortgaged his home, to raise medical expenses.

 After months of treatment, Umavati recovered. She was out of danger, but still, not strong enough to take care of households.

Now they had a bigger problem. Tulsiram was in the late fifties and had spent all his money on the treatment. There was no money left for even the basic requirements.

Friends and relatives started distancing themselves.

 Umavati cried, " I told you, not to spend that much money on my treatment, we have to pay our children college fees and daughter is already reaching marriageable age. To save me, you have put the life of four people into hardship. With the money we had, you guys could have a respectable life."

Tulsiram was of the old generation still, he had a modern mentality. 

He said to his wife, "Don't worry dear, we will surely work out some way". Even though Tulsiram was clueless, he gave her false assurance.

He thought for two days and finally, he decided, "I should not lose the courage. I cannot change the past, but I can work for the future".

At night when all the family gathered for the dinner, he said, " As you all know, we are not the same as we were yesterday. I want all of you to cooperate, so that, we can stand back on our feet."

 He said to his children, "I want you to cut off any unnecessary expenses. Next some years, may make or break our future."

"But dad, what you are planning to do?", his daughter asked.

"Your mom cannot move much now, but she prepares sweets well. I will buy all the ingredients from the market. I and your mom will together to prepare the sweets. Then I will go to the house by house and sell them.", Tulsiram conveyed about his plan.

The daughter was shy and asked, "Dad, we had employed four workers in our shop and now, you will go to each home and sell sweets?".

Tulsiram with a smile replied, " No job is big or small, only the thoughts are".

Next few days the family had to sustain with minimum financial ability. Tulsiram and his wife Umavati had to sell their jewelry to manage children's study. Tulsiram although in his late fifties, had to forget about his age constraints and work hard with Umavati. Morning he went market, to bring ingredients. He and Umavati would spend the entire evening preparing sweets, later Tulsiram would go to the house by house to sell them.

This continued for many years. Slowly financial condition started improving. He started getting orders from bakeries and other restaurants. He even used to take sweet contracts for marriage and birthday parties.  

With financial condition improving, he brought back his home which was mortgaged and at the end of the street manage to open a small restaurant. It took them ten years to stand back on the foot.

His son completed the graduation and joined the business. His daughter got a job in the local bank. He got her married and threw a grand party on the occasion.

An old man who had helped the family was invited as the guest for the marriage. With pride, he asked Tulsiram, how did you manage the financial crises? Now I am very happy to see your family is well settled.

Tulsiram replied, "When all the friends and relatives left us, I had only one thing with me, that was my courage. I had set the goal, to stand back on the feet. Even though I was old and my wife was sick, we forgot all the pain and began from scratch. Even today I said to my son, whatever we are, was due to that courage. Had I lost it, there was no way we could have come back".

The old man smiled and tapped Tulsirams back. You have proved the old dictum right, "It is never too late, to start the new beginning, from the old ending."