The best oscar acceptance speeches have never been heard on TV or discussed on social media. They remain safely with the shampoo bottles and high school trophies. Back pages of the old notebook has scene many more autographs and so many school science projects have smiled at the dreams of Nobel laureates. Tennis racket behind the door is still waiting to kiss the Wimbledon grass court. Small pubs, near the tech parks and shiny glass towers, now hold all these secrets. It was never about the fame or the money or the fad, deep down it was always about that feeling of winning. The achievement after the long toil, oasis after a long road in the desert, that feeling of hard work being paid off. Life now is about salary and promotions on a path of pretences and existentialist crisis. But the search of that feeling is on. Kudos from boss, pat from colleagues, a thumbs up from a client; does it live up to the feeling we are searching for? For some of us may be, for most of us not.
It was tough getting up early for that 8 am meeting specially after handling family crisis a night before, managing house on our own is tough and still we managed the submission of that analysis document over weekend. No we didn’t deserve it but we got into that shit anyway and we put up a smile in front of the people around, that was indeed brave. Mediocracy was never a curse, who so ever made us believe that, was wrong. Because, through our academic and professional life, reaching above average was an achievement we never gave ourselves credit for. We were never happy being at the middle of bell curve, we always aspired for the top, doesn’t that sheer will to reach for stars separates us from rest? May be we don’t know this yet. But just getting by this mundane day, doing our best every moment, bringing smile on someone’s face, being a friend’s shoulder to lean on, trying to be a pillar for the family, giving our seat to a stranger in a metro or just telling ourselves ‘ let’s do better next day’; may be all this counts for something. May be that shampoo bottle knew, may be that autograph in an old notebook had guessed it back then that we will win someday. It might not feel like, but these collective moments will give us that feeling we are searching for. May be we don't’ it yet, but we are winning!
