Today My Life Begins

My little children who ignored to prepare must be sweating now in the exam. But for those early birds, they might have already caught the worms. I didn't get the chance to observe either of the scenes today because I wasn’t on examination duty. I parked myself at home the whole day.

That late evening, to erase my boredom, I escaped from the bed to take a solitary walk. In the process of walking, it struck in my mind that

I have been working hard so long

Seems like pain has been my only friend

My fragile heart’s been done so wrong

I wondered if I’d ever heal again……..

Life’s too short to have regrets

So I am learning now to leave it in the past

And try to forget we only have one life to live

So you better make the best of it.

These are the lyrics of one of my best songs Today My Life Begins by Bruno Mars. And it continues….

Just like all the seasons

Never stay the same

All around me I can feel a Change

I will break these chains that bind me

Happiness will find me

Leave the past behind me

Today my life begins

A whole new world is waiting

Its mine for the taking

I know I can make it

Today my life begins

Nicely webbed. Captivating song. Mesmerizing voice. Worth listening repeatedly.

Crafting my own world....battling with thousands of queries.....during school picnic, 2012

Soon after my graduation, my wife and I struggled to get placed together in the same school. Because both of us had the same teaching subjects [Physics and Health and Physical Education], the so-called education officers in the district administration managed to clothe even those minute and silly reasons into official principles. Our pleas on making some adjustments for placing us together were refuted with injustice. Injustice because they said we had the same teaching subjects as if they married their wife based on subjects. Injustice because they said one of us would be vestigial and defunct if stationed together as if they were not teachers before and directly appointed as education officers. Those blatant rejections added insult to the injury. And deep inside, I was reminded of an old maxim, A thief thinks everybody is a thief. 

The first year in the service expired with two of us surviving with desperate separations. The marriage certificate that was exactly 53 days old wasn’t mature enough to blunt their official power of disposing us into separate school pits.

A year later, my wife left for her studies in Malaysia. This disconnection further fueled the severity of pangs in my already wounded heart simply because we hardly had a few days together after our marriage.

The following year, I opted for a transfer into other districts, in the hope of better justice. Chaskhar Pam CPS and Chaskhar LSS under Mongar district are the alma maters for my first pedagogy drive.

By July 2012, six months after my placement in Punakha, my wife returned following the successful completion of her studies. This time too, her homecoming wasn’t good news. The district has pushed her to another middle secondary school. I didn’t mind because people on the higher rung of the education ladder, on my timely intervention, convinced me that they will accommodate me together with her after six months.

However, these six months stretched to a year now. The stories appeared like old wine in a new bottle. Even this time, my transfer form could not hop, leap and cross the bar of their reasons. The remarks column was stretching its hand to expose one word that was clumsily hand-scribbled: scholarship.

The officials concerned rebooted ‘scholarship’ to be the major cause to retain me in the same basket. Getting selected to undergo a masters degree did not come as a boon for me then. I hated it the most and asked if it was the reason to hold me, I would pleasurably forgo it. If it is the issue of financial repercussions, I would sacrifice even those entitled transfer grants, I pledged. If the principal of my school refused to release me, I would pleasantly accept that he might have needed my service for some more time. But, the principal became to be one of my ardent supporters to push me after knowing that I have been separated from my family for the last five years.

During my two hours standing in the education office, I was also reminded that if I am viewed as not needful in the interest of the school where my wife is, I would prefer teaching in the same school. However, the principal of the other school stood behind me by a phone call, saying his school is in dire need of a science teacher. But whosoever says whatsoever, there’s no deal. So I surrendered ringing the same bell into those waxed ears.

Worth repeating is worth repeating twice. So,

I have been working hard so long

Seems like pain has been my only friend

My fragile heart’s been done so wrong

I wondered if I’d ever heal again……..

Life’s too short to have regrets

So I am learning now to leave it in the past

And try to forget we only have one life to live

So you better make the best of it…

Today my life begins

A whole new world is waiting

Its mine for the taking

I know I can make it

This August I am leaving for my studies with a very heavy heart. I know a whole new world is waiting and it's mine for the taking. I know I can make it. And Today My Life Begins.    

  The Original Lyrics of Today My Life Begins by Bruno Mars

 I have been working hard so long

Seems like pain has been my only friend

My fragile hearts been done so wrong

I wondered if I’d ever heal again

[Chorus]

Oh..Just like all the seasons

Never stay the same

All around me I can feel a Change

I will break these chains that bind me

Happiness will find me

Leave the past behind me

Today my life begins

A whole new world is waiting

Its mine for the taking

I know I can make it

Today my life begins

Yesterday has come and gone

And I’ve learn how to leave it where it is

And I see that I was wrong

For ever doubting I could win

[Chorus]

Oh..Just like all the seasons

Never stay the same

All around me I can feel a Change

I will break these chains that bind me

Happiness will find me

Leave the past behind me

Today my life begins

A whole new world is waiting

Its mine for the taking

I know I can make it

Today my life begins

Life’s too short to have regrets

So I am learning now to leave it in the past

And try to forget we only have one life to live

So you better make the best of it

[Chorus]

Oh. I will break these chains that bind me

Happiness will find me

Leave the past behind me

Today my life begins

A whole new world is waiting

Its mine for the taking

I know I can make it

Today my life begins [3 times]