Ascending Valley - Conclusion

A particularly gray morning, Aditi woke with a start. She jumped out of bed unsure of what caused this stirring within her. A silhouette of a dream hovered in the shadows and she tried to recall it’s scene as she sat on the side of her bed. An image began to form, and as she fixed her mind to it she saw her face taking shape.  It was her face, but different, more serene, determined, intensified.

Aditi started her day as usual with gym, cooking for the day before heading out to work. Nothing had changed at the office, the phones continued their buzz persistently, her staff attended professionally and deferred complex issues to her, and her father in his office managing the accounts. Before she could grab a cup of coffee, the first crisis of the day was already knocking on her door. A customer package had not arrived and as she researched she learned that the customer had supplied the wrong address. The warehouse needed to be contacted to resend at the correct address.

She had started this ecommerce business from the ground up building it to reach its most profitable year ever. She oversaw the day to day operation making herself available at all odd hours, while managing everything from the front office to the back office and everything in between. As her parents had helped her with the initial financing, they managed the money. Their hold on her changed from the glass castle to her job.  A job that was more to her than anything else. It was her baby that she had given birth to, built from ground up, and nourished it into a healthy life. She reveled in the joy of pleasing her parents, accomplished beyond their or her own expectation. Every day she walked into the office hoping this would be the day her parents will pat her on the back and say, “Well done! We’re so proud of you.” Every day she was disappointed.

She shared her distress with Sunil and he advised her to withdraw from the company. He had a job and he could provide for them. But how could she tell him that it had become more than a salary or any comforts this additional income could provide. This company had become her core, a part of who she was. It had helped her find herself. It had ascended her out of the valley, helped her climb the steep mountain to reach its peak. She was not a princess anymore, but a hardworking, smart business woman who was her own person who will not be pulled or tugged. 

The end