Break Free!

Today is women's day. I can tell you an important lesson I have learned in life. It's about breaking free from stereotypes. Life is one long journey. The milestones involve keeping together various relationships we forge along the way. Have you ever thought about how difficult it is to keep relationships together? What does it take from you to keep your loved ones inside your circle. I have learned my lessons from my elders and the next generation. The big lesson is adjustment.

Most women around me, have forgotten how to adjust. I grew up in a close-knit large family. There were uncles and aunts of all description. One of my uncles played a dominant role in my life. He was the bulwark of our family home. My father has eight younger brothers and a sister, which for us, added up to 40 first cousins. There were kids of every age. I stayed with my uncle's family for eight months before I shifted to the hostel. He was a stern guardian, and there was little freedom to move out of the house, even in a group. When he lost her temper we all scurried for cover. When I stayed with them, I had to adjust to their mindset. So, we bonded. Memorable relationships do not always require a lifetime of association. The interaction may be fleeting and transient, but a bond can get established in the shortest time.

Cut to the present. My husband's niece, as she prefers being called, came to stay with me for two months during her summer training in computers. We were rather tense those days, besieged with some seemingly insurmountable problems. It did not appear that the close interaction would offer much by way of relief, as the relationships was a formal one, and fraught with complexities. She was a quiet girl and therefore quite different from me. We hardly had any conversation. I thought the two month stay would be torturous for the youngster, given the fact that her home ran on oiled wheels, and here, the household was disorganized, to the point of being chaotic on any given day. The keyword, adjustment, now seemed to be a veritable challenge.

But the younger generation is far more adaptable than we give them credit for. Instead of looking disdainfully at the boringly predictable breakfast, she innovated and came up with variations. She got along famously with her two cousins. Where she scored 150 out of 100 was at dinner-time. She gave every appearance of enjoying the trivia. Within no time the two months got over, we had bonded. It was almost three decades ago when, as a college student, I had adapted to people who were different in background and temperament, and thus built strong ties. Last summer, I learned once again, the heart-warming truth that there are no stereotypes in any relationship. It's all a matter of having an open mind and heart!

01 Dec 2008 14:14:58

Relationships: Can 'Dump doctors' help couples break up amicably? - Telegraph.co.uk

Telegraph.co.uk Relationships : Can 'Dump doctors' help couples break up amicably? Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - By Michael Hewitt Who can you turn to if you feel your relationship has run its course and that curling up together in front of a log fire now has all the ...

Source: http://telegraph.co.uk/health/healthadvice/3534166/Relations~.html

01 Dec 2008 10:41:14

Tech: helps, hinders learning, interpersonal relationships - Kansas State Collegian

Kansas State Collegian Tech: helps, hinders learning, interpersonal relationships Kansas State Collegian, KS - The institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping young people learn the skills necessary for successful relationships and marriages. ...

Source: http://kstatecollegian.com/tech_helps%252C_hinders_learning%~

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