A Lesson I've Learnt

What an enjoyable week it has to be for this week! 1 day more of official holiday, 1 day of tutorial holiday (which makes it a 3-day school week), last run of the movie 'De-Lovely' on wednesday, a mind boggling Prof Ling's tutorial and a super filling RajaInn porridge buffet. Yummy! If only every week was this good!

As I was jogging during the week, I was pondering whether to go beyond my normal distance of 5km with a troubled hamstring (biceps femoris) injury. Well, being a pretty avid runner, I decided to tell myself to stop when I could feel the strain. Yup, as expected, the strain came back at about the 1 km mark, and it was hurting worse than previously. However, not to disappoint myself, I told myself to keep going and pushing, that this pain I'm feeling is only temporary. I went on, and on, and on...despite the pain. In the end, I completed my run for the day and of course, the injury was worse than before as well.

However, I felt this run was more thought-provoking than ever. Y was I running harder and longer than before when there's hamstring injury, esp since I've not injured my hamstrings before? The answer didn't have to wait for long and it came in the form of a little boy who was learning how to ride a bike in the void deck.

The boy fell off the bike. He sobbed gently and was disappointed with his attempt. He dared not get onto the bike for a while, even despite his mum's coaxing. Then came his younger sister who was spinning around in her bike and gleefully saying these words 'If you don't continue to try, you'll never know how to ride a bicycle. Just try lah!'

It reminded me so much about the Pri 1 days when I kept felling off the bicycle in front of all my relatives. Did I stop trying? I think not. Instead, it made me much more motivated to get my cycling skills correct. The journey of learning is not easy. It NEVER was. However, the fruit at the end of the journey was sweeter and served as a greater motivator. It is the same in learning any skills, and that includes studies as well. We fumble and we grumble and we frustrate ourselves along the way. But it should not deter our goals we've set in mind. I've learnt to cycle soon after and I'm glad I did because I've an undying and strong passion for cycling and speed. I ran even harder because I love the thrill of running and the cool breeze that slaps into my face. I've another goal now - to become a good doctor. Will I or will I not be? I'm looking towards proving myself.