Good teachers can bestow upon us the life-time aha! experiences.
I had atypical struggle during the first few weeks in USA. I was the only Indian in my department at TTU at that time. Although everyone around spoke English, yet I was not getting them fully. While all my other fellow Indian students (in different faculties) were comfortable with the accent and the language and the people, I was unsettled. The reason was that I was trying to hear more than what people were speaking. I was trying to read their body language, which was a bit difficult being new to the culture.
When I shared my problem with my adviser Dr. Chris Robitschek, she told me a story. There was a school boy who used to go down the street every day with his father. The street was filled with lush green trees and bushes around. His father would ask what color he sees, and he would say green. As the days passed, the boy started seeing more than just green color. He started differentiating between dark green and light green. With more time, he could tell even more shades of green in the same street.
With no more words from her, I could see how I was seeing just the green color. The story not only brought patience to me at the moment, but also unfolded many pieces of wisdom. In fact, it keeps coming back to me every time I come across a new situation. I have less anxiety and greater patience towards life. The story reminds me not to prejudge anyone or jump into conclusions. For I know, there could be more shades to what I am seeing now.
Life is full of wonders, mysteries and unexpected opportunities. An open mind makes living positive and fruitful. The story has relevance for both kinds of people: those who get satisfied soon, and those who quickly get impatient. It is easier to accept things, people or situation when we keep an optimistic attitude towards them. Such mind set not just keeps one motivated to work persistently towards his/her goal but also stimulates to strive for higher goals.
I like to share the story and thank my professor for enlightening me with so many shades of life.
