73: Being Me

Just recently I heard someone say that we can all be storytellers. Each of us will have 5 great stories in our lives, all we need is to find them and tell them as they are. 

So here is my first great story and it happened over the last year. 

When Covid 19 happened, we as school teachers were asked to start teaching through Distance Learning. This was unfamiliar, uncharted territory for me as it was for most of my colleagues. Pandemic fear on one side and online teaching on the other. Nothing could be more daunting at that moment than having to process both. 

Learning new technology, making sure the kids were motivated, engaged through their sessions coupled with the constant reminders to turn on their microphone or not eat during class was another challenge in itself. But I learned, as did many others, and now I have added IT skills to my CV. 

While I was coping with the pandemic strain, lockdowns and quarantine in 2020, a wonderful opportunity presented itself. I decided to start working on something I don’t think I would have had the time to work on if life was normal.

I have always found comfort and solace with words. Being a shy and reserved child, I began writing to express my feelings. Writing was my safe space, thoughts were easily put into words. 

2006 was the first time I shared something I had written with my family. The need of the hour simply compelled me to do so. It was my first wedding anniversary. Having moved to Dubai straight after my wedding, without my parents and still without any friends of my own, the new life as a married woman was overwhelming. My parents visited to celebrate our first anniversary, and I poured my heart out to them with a little speech I had prepared over dinner. 

That day began my journey of writing for others as well. Over the years, I began sharing my written work with others and slowly began writing for friends and family as well. I wrote and still write poetry and prose for myself. Their response was always, “You should write a book” or “You should do something with your writing.” Deep down, I too wanted to give my writing more meaning. I started working on projects and gave up halfway through for various reasons. Lack of time, not being in the writing zone mentally, fear of rejection were some of the main reasons. 

With the pandemic came the perfect opportunity to devote my heart and mind to writing once again. Thus began my journey as a writer. It has been a journey with ups and downs, many rejections and struggles, but each one has taught me an important lesson and made me stronger. 

A year after I started, I have finally published my first children’s book, Being Me, as an author and I couldn’t be prouder of myself. My struggles and hurdles are not over yet. Every day brings a new setback, but I won’t let it get me or my spirit down. 

2020 has instilled more patience in me, allowed me to reflect on myself, made me grateful for my family and friends who have supported me and my dream, made me mentally stronger, taught me new skills, and most importantly given me a title as an author. I will take this with me into 2021 and the years that follow. 

This is me Riffat Merchant, now a published author. This is my first story. I continue to live, dream, hope, and cannot wait to see and unfold the remaining four.

To know more about my book you can follow the link http://www.riffatmerchant.in/ here you will find links to purchase the book in your country. 

If you are in the UAE follow https://www.amazon.ae/Being-Me-Riffat-Merchant/dp/9354275338/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=being+me+by+riffat&qid=1621676024&sr=8-1