Here is another strong bit of wisdom that I picked from my mother. My mom was a very simple but extremely loving and caring woman. As a child, I had a huge problem. I was very plump. I was in class II and was a constant target of fun for my classmates. They would keep teasing me for being fat. Rude comments, physical gestures and every possible way to laugh at me. Though I did manage to act as if I did not care, it did hurt. I prayed to all Gods possible to make them go away but they seemed to increase in number and nuisance. They would snatch my bag away and run. Watching me run behind them would make everyone well entertained. I stopped chasing them until my lunch box was inside for that was a precious possession. The words “Bodda, Bodda” (means fat, colloquially) would ring aloud in my nightmares.
I had enough and decided to stop going to School. I expressed this ‘resolution’ to my mom. She patiently asked me why I would not want to go. I narrated my grief. She laughed out loud and said that was me too in my childhood. “I was much stouter than you”, she said excitedly. That was her signature style to impress upon me – saying things in excitement. I listened to her awestruck. She told me about how her schoolmates would find new ways to make fun of her. I earnestly asked her how she did with that. To this she replied:
“When the world laughs at you – laugh with them. The pain will turn to pleasure”
Those words of her worked like magic. The next time my classmates teased me, I joined the fun. They were awed. They liked it instantly and became friendlier. They seemed to enjoy my company as I did theirs.
Well it happened again. I had very low scores in my 12th Board exam but was determined to do my CA. People laughed at me and were quite shameless to tell me on my face that I was dreaming. It hurt but what my Mom told me worked. I laughed with them but inside I became stronger, smarter and serious about it. It helped me. When people laugh at you don’t take it personally because it is their insecurity. Just stay focused on your dreams and your vision. Once you get that, nobody can stop you!
