Remembering Appa

I must have been 10. Or younger. I shared my birthday with a friend in my class and we looked forward to the hackneyed tradition of sharing candies with the classmates each year on our birthdays.

That year, as usual, I waited, buoyant, to hand over the golden wrapped eclairs to the lined up class. My exhilaration was short lived though - I turned over to see my friend, the one who shared the birthday, handing out chocolate bars - shinier, larger and most importantly, in my eyes, better than what I had to offer.

I burst out in tears and ran out of class dropping the packet of eclairs that my dad had so painstakingly packed in a red painted box.

Given it wasn't the age of ubiquitously being connected, I had to wait, teary eyed until the end of day for dad to pick me up from school to narrate the tale of how the traitor of a friend had upended my glorious day.

Dad being dad, couldn't see his little princess lose, as irrational as it sounded. I don't know how he managed the miracle late that evening but the next day I stepped into class with a triumphant smile - a large pack of individually wrapped pastries for the class in my hand.

Of course, my dad was the best dad in the world!

Everyone has a purpose and a passion that drives them - at work and in life.

One that reminds you to push across the last mile, to not give up on your dreams, to not take the easier route and to hold on to your integrity.

For me, that is and has always been my dad. One who embodied all of those qualities and more.

"People think dreams aren't real just because they aren't made of matter, of particles. Dreams are real. But they are made of viewpoints, of images, of memories and puns and lost hopes" - Gaiman

Mine has been to make my dad proud.

In hindsight, our life is nothing more than a gestalt of memories we share with our loved ones.

“As we age, we become our parents; live long enough and we see faces repeat in time.”

I lost my dad at the beginning of the year. It is a void that probably will never fill. Its hard to forget someone who gave so much to remember.

"If you found you were dying, would you be nicer? Love more? Try something new? Well, we are. We all are" - When Breathe becomes Air

My father is who drives me in all I do.

Find out what drives you.