“We dont meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason.” Unknown
Sometimes in life, we meet people for a reason. We meet with them to get the significant lesson of life. We don’t have even faintest of the idea when they are around us. Only after we move on from the point of dissociation we realize what they taught us. Recently I was browsing through some data science courses to upgrade my professional skills (as I mentioned I took a 
break from work) and that’s how I remembered this old friend of mine.
Today, computer skills/ programming are common in schools. But I am talking late nineties when students were still learning languages like C/C++. Then I was never fond of it especially since I could only write a specific set of instructions and only those lines could run the code. Every time I had been asked to write a program, I had this sore feeling inside. So to complete the secondary education, I had to up an extra subject and the choice was between Civic Science or Computer science. Just for everybody’s knowledge civic is no science at all! It was one of the worst ways of torturing students.
I despised computers in my life ( at that point in time I should add) and imagining myself writing programming codes literally brought me to tears. In the midst of all these thoughts where seconds passed like light years and you would wish this all was a dream, I felt a sudden jolt right next to me.
I frowned and looked. I saw this new student who moved to our school and was boasting about his advanced technical knowledge, or so I thought. I looked at him and with all my disgusting expression asked him “What do you want? I am already in a fix. Just go away, shoo!”He looked and smiled calmly said with all matter of fact-ly types, “Go on, put on a tick on computer science”. And again I looked at him, closed my eyes & thought “Yeah! Yeah! Why not?”. But I finally just said with a lot of sarcasm in my tone “Hmm. I am just thinking, not really good at it. Not everybody is at the good in computers”. He said, “I can see that, but still put a tick. I will help you.” I was taken aback, why will he help me. So I asked him why? To which I got an answer “Oh! I will help myself. Don’t worry. And moreover, you are the only one I am helping. That way I expand my learning and in return, you could do away with this fear of programming.” I was of course super happy. From that day until I completed secondary school he did all our projects, assignments and got classes from him to understand the basics. And with time we became best of buddies.
Finally, we left for engineering in different states ( and yes, of course, I moved on from my hysteria and despising of computers, thanks to him). He is now very successful and settled in the USA.
But as sometimes happen in life, we have lost touch and no more in contact.I do remember his lesson. He taught me to take a leap of faith. Not just that day but many times later in life as well until we stopped being in touch.
He might not be around to tell me this anymore. But I silently thank him for being that teacher who never lost hope even when the student had no hope. Someday I might be able to say that to him in person. Until then, I am just saying it aloud to all the people around me.Sometimes its good to remember to those people we have/ had in life and be grateful for those small but meaningful lessons they taught while they were passing by!
P.S. However, I am still not over the phobia of programming.
Confessions of a Reading Freak 