After my second year Pre-university exams, I was looking for a part time job to earn some pocket money for my travel expenses- to go bird watching. As I didn't want to ask my parents, I had requested my aunt to search a part time job with 2000 to 3000 rupees salary. She was working in an auditing office and there was a helper boy called Gopi who was working in her office and she gave me his contact no. and asked me to meet him.

I didn't have a cell phone at that time, had never traveled to any place, I had hardly interacted with strangers, I guess in 17 years of my life I had not even approached 17 strangers properly, I was so silent that I never used to speak to my own classmates.

There were two friends in my Pre-University College called Kala Nair and Zulfi Rubia who used to tease me and request me to smile once! That was a small introduction of "my old me"- how I was about 5 years back.

Anyway, I digress. Coming back, I called him up and decided to meet him on Double road, Bangalore between 1- 1:30 pm. I caught the bus and reached the place and waited for him in the bus stop and called him from the public coin booth. He said he will be reaching there in another 15 minutes, so I was waiting for him to come. I generally picturize about any situation I am about to encounter, any person I'm about to meet. So as usual I started picturizing this situation of meeting him, the kind of job he would offer me, what kind of questions he would ask me, the amount of money I will be earning and the way I would want to spend that money etc.

I had seen him a few times at my aunt's office so remembered his face, after some time, I saw him crossing the road and coming towards me from the other side of the road. I was very happy to see him but I was very scared to speak out. We met each other and spoke for less than five minutes and left the place. I had zero communication skills and I knew he was not happy with my ability to interact with others. He told my aunt that Arun is of no use, he doesn't even know to speak to me, what work will he do? I don't think he will be fit to work for us. I was very disappointed by listening to these words from my aunt. But I never gave up, I decided what if he didn't give me a job, someday I will be a very big man and I will make them work for me and I will not work for anyone else.
Many years passed, and just a few days back I was sharing the news of me taking part in the global competition called Your Big Year to the same aunt. No doubt she was surprised, but she also was very happy! She was also telling her colleagues about my visit and experience to different Wildlife sanctuaries and National park across South India. And recently in a small event, I met the same Gopi who is still doing the same job after all these years.

And I was feeling lucky about myself, I was thankful to God that he had not made me fit for that job because if I had got selected that day, I would have not been here doing what I am doing today. Whenever I get time I recall such small incidences from the past and smile at myself!

Because when we allow God to decide for us, what we get is beyond imagination!