Oh no! It's thursday again! !! …. I scream as I cast a look at the table calendar. Thursdays always troubled me as we had a two hour long sports period in school on thursdays. I dreaded thursdays like hell……. I was that girl who was always picked last for teams, who gave up way before the finish line, who couldn't run to save her life. But this thursday seemed ten times scarier as a 100m race awaited me. I am bad at sports in general, but I had a particular aversion towards races , as my excess weight left me particularly slow-paced. I felt so weak afterwards that it seemed like an enormous effort to pick myself up and head to the classroom. Yet I failed, each and every time. All this effort couldn't save me from coming last, being mocked, or breaking down, each and every time. My head was spinning due to all that tension as I had my breakfast. My mother, being well accustomed to my mood swings, knew what was troubling me. She lifted my face so our eyes would meet, but I looked away from her. Tears welled up in my eyes. I confessed-"Ma! I really don't want to run the race. it hurts like hell when everyone jeers at me. even coach sir always looks at me with a frown. I don't think I can take it anymore. I would hide in any secluded classroom, I'll just lurk behind. that would at least spare me from all this mental trauma."The bit of advice that followed has been my source of inspiration all these years-my mother said with a warm understanding smile-"You won't always have your way with life. if everybody doesn't approve you or you don't approve of everyone, that's ok, as long as you can see yourself in the eyes when you look into the mirror "No this ain't a fairy tale. I didn't magically come first, but after all this time I finally accepted myself, and learned to take pride in my efforts. Finally I can face the wrath of the world's disapproving looks and say with a smile-"That's ok"Sometimes, an-out-of-the-blues hearty confession and a piece of motherly advice is all you need 