Exploring the endless possibilities of the “AND ” inside

I remember when as a child ,our elders would ask us what we wanted to be when we grew up .I would say I wanted to be a doctor and my sister would answer that she wanted to be a “Mommy”(mother).This response would often elicit rounds of laughter and giggling from the elders .

Thinking back ,I feel has it had been always this or that for us woman .You can either be a good wife or a good career woman, but god forbid if you try to be in both the boats at the same time ,you are probably going to be doomed .

As a young girl , my dreams changed every month .There were times I wanted to be an engineer ,at other times I wanted to be a  painter , sometimes it would be the desire to become a veterinary doctor and sometimes I would want to be a journalist or a social worker .But I was encouraged to go only for occupations that were considered family -friendly like  a teacher or a doctor .Other dreams were gently shaken off and laid aside .

Finally I did become a doctor ,but soon got married .I still remember that one of our professors used to taunt the boys to buckle up ,he would say that girls only wanted to get a fancy “Dr” prefix to be able to get a good match  and once the girls would marry they would forget all about medicine and devote their time and energy to child rearing and looking pretty ,and so it was up to the boys to really do something illustrious for their profession and make the teachers proud .

Me and my explorations

I worked long hours ,sometimes 24 hours at a stretch even when I was newly married and my in-laws and husband wished for me to be more at home .In fact the same professor applauded me in front of the whole staff for my hard work and dedication !

When I had my first child , I took a sabbatical from my job but pursued my love for writing and painting .I was lucky that my husband always supported me in my choices .
After that I had a short brush with Social work .Though because of pregnancy related complications I could not pursue my degree but gained a lot of knowledge and know-how of that field .
I overcame my fear of deep waters and learnt to swim ….

I always had wanted to be a writer and while surfing the net I read how others through blogging could write about their views and thus I became a blogger .

So in short I want to say this to all my fellow lady bloggers out there reading this ,”Sky is the limit ,dream on , do not let yourself be dragged down by social norms and fears .Value yourself and explore your potential .You can be multifaceted , multi-talented .Follow your heart and be your own master .Do not be let yourself be sidelined by the  “OR” in your life and welcome the “ANDs” in your life .Be a mother and a doctor and an artist ,not just either one of them .”

“This post is a part of #UseYourAnd activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette Venus”.

I would like to tag my fellow blogger ,whom I love and respect for being an inspiring human being Swarna Rao .