70 runs to win... 7 wickets down... Ankoor is the only recognised batsman on the pitch... Straight drive, punch through cover pull down squareleg... "Ankoorrrrrrrrrrrrrrryaaaa did you finish the page? you are on it since half an hour!!!" That was Mom... The rain interuption, or the should I say the thunderstorm interuption in my close finishing, heroic day dream.The human mind can never be blank, thoughts, dreams etc. always keep it busy. I have played a world record number of cricket matches in my day dreams, scored tonnes of runs and been a hero in each match. Thats how much I love the game.
One major regret I always carried is that I could never play competitive cricket. I am very aggressive by nature and as a kid always adored the way the pakis played their cricket and played it pretty much the same way, with aggression.
I remember a very funny incident as a kid in school when my senior house team was loosing badly and I was just a spectator. I went up to our captain who was fielding at the boundry with a vaseline bottle and asked him if he wanted to use it and that it could help win the game. He was stunned. When I played for my college team I was so chirpy behind the stumps, I used to get warnings from batsman, "match ke baad milte hain".
My day dreams finally got tired of being repeated and so they turned into a reality. I moved to Dallas and through this gentleman at work named Zia somehow got in touch with a Paki team which plays 2nd division league cricket in Dallas. Its a well recognised league and there is much more on offer than I had ever dreamt off. I play for them as a wicket keeper batsman. I am no hero player like the one in my dreams... in fact i have screwed it up in so many situations which I have won in my day dreams. so much so that in between I even quit it, totally. On retrospection I realised I was making the most common human error. Dream, dream dream and when you achieve it move on... take it for granted... leave it, coz its not exactly how the you had planned it, or maybe coz you had planned it wrong or may be too far.
So now I have started playing again and hope that this time around I will enjoy living this dream. That way I can make this a memory of a lifetime.
I meet some great individuals whenever I play a match. We call ourselves as Eagles. All of them have common traits. They are big at heart, very aggressive, hit the ball very hard, dont have a defensive bone, always think positive, bowl and bat their hearts out, never miss a chance to pull someones leg, are never short of a word. They are full of advice and will shower upon you any amount of trust and support if they think you are good, honest and have talent. Amir bhai, Asif bhai and Abdullah bhai are my favourites.
Monday, April 14, 2008
You will always need something to fix.
You will always need something to fix.
When life gets very very tough, and it reaches a point from where you question the mere existence of God, good deeds, truth, infact the need to continue your own life... and You choose to stand up tall and fight hard and smart. Like a hero walking out of fire you emerge out of the troubles of life, to tell the tale of bravery and determination. This blog is not about the initial struggle and your bravery in emerging out of it. Its about the aftermath of it.
Let me start with a simple example. If you solve a good problem in math, it doesnt end there. You will always need something harder to solve. Likewise if you fix a hard time in life, you will always need something more to fix. You will savour the struggle to success more than the statisfaction of acheiveing it. And subconciuosly you will start looking for a new struggle. Because suddenly you discover thats the only way you have learnt to live.
Have you heard of kids mixing up all the sections of a jigsaw puzzle so that solving the puzzle becomes hard? Yes you yourself might actually end up creating the rest of the struggles in your life. Examples are falling in love with a person who is never going to reciprocate, getting hooked on to some addiction (like fag or booze), starting a silly business. You will do it with the same intensity with which you fought the battle of your life, and in the process this time around loose yourself and there starts a bigger battle.
You will do well at things in which you are an under dog or you're at the receiving end. Dont believe me? Try playing a duel game against an opponent equal or lesser that you. You will not do well untill you start losing. Thats when you will realise, that you always need something to fix:-)
One theory which runs through my mind always when I see India and Australia play is: The Indians wont do well until it gets stiff, afterall most of Indias men thrive in difficulty coz we are a developing nation. We do not thrive in a bed of roses coz we are still not used to it. And so we enjoy playing David always and not Goliath.
My advice to you is CHILL. After you emerge out from a tough battle, leave the airs of being a hero behind... get back to living the simplicity in life again. The enjoyment of waking up in the morning with nothing to worry about.Get used to being happy for longer periods. Enjoy life till life presents the next battle,if at all.
Please do not find something to fix.
When life gets very very tough, and it reaches a point from where you question the mere existence of God, good deeds, truth, infact the need to continue your own life... and You choose to stand up tall and fight hard and smart. Like a hero walking out of fire you emerge out of the troubles of life, to tell the tale of bravery and determination. This blog is not about the initial struggle and your bravery in emerging out of it. Its about the aftermath of it.
Let me start with a simple example. If you solve a good problem in math, it doesnt end there. You will always need something harder to solve. Likewise if you fix a hard time in life, you will always need something more to fix. You will savour the struggle to success more than the statisfaction of acheiveing it. And subconciuosly you will start looking for a new struggle. Because suddenly you discover thats the only way you have learnt to live.
Have you heard of kids mixing up all the sections of a jigsaw puzzle so that solving the puzzle becomes hard? Yes you yourself might actually end up creating the rest of the struggles in your life. Examples are falling in love with a person who is never going to reciprocate, getting hooked on to some addiction (like fag or booze), starting a silly business. You will do it with the same intensity with which you fought the battle of your life, and in the process this time around loose yourself and there starts a bigger battle.
You will do well at things in which you are an under dog or you're at the receiving end. Dont believe me? Try playing a duel game against an opponent equal or lesser that you. You will not do well untill you start losing. Thats when you will realise, that you always need something to fix:-)
One theory which runs through my mind always when I see India and Australia play is: The Indians wont do well until it gets stiff, afterall most of Indias men thrive in difficulty coz we are a developing nation. We do not thrive in a bed of roses coz we are still not used to it. And so we enjoy playing David always and not Goliath.
My advice to you is CHILL. After you emerge out from a tough battle, leave the airs of being a hero behind... get back to living the simplicity in life again. The enjoyment of waking up in the morning with nothing to worry about.Get used to being happy for longer periods. Enjoy life till life presents the next battle,if at all.
Please do not find something to fix.
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