When I was asked to be the mascot for this year's Pinkathon Bangalore, I asked, "really? Are you sure?? Are you reeeeaallyy sure???"
Me? This lazy-couch-potato-netflix-binge-watcher-perennial-excuse-maker-me?? They don't know my “dirty little secret” that I quit yoga after four months because I was “travelling too often”, that I look for any excuse to not wake up early, that I barely make it to gym more than two or three times a week. I am probably the laziest person I know.But there I was, with this responsibility shoved into my hands - to motivate and inspire women to run and to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. I started a slow process of training for Pinkathon, when two weeks later during my regular check-up, some of the disease reappeared. All my plans took a complete turn and I stopped everything to focus on my health. Some days later, after the initial shock subsided and running around hospitals was done, I started going for walks again, at my own pace.Today, I was called an inspiration by quite a few people. Why me? Just look around and you'll find inspiration everywhere.Inspiration is my mother, who did her first 3k with a six month long pain in her foot. It is my sister-in-law, who ran her first 5k, just two months after giving birth to her second child.
Inspiration is those women who can't see, but ran ten kilometres, and the ones who held their hands and ran with them. It is that lady walking slowly in a crisp saree and a neat white braid. It is that lanky girl whose long strides were as graceful as they were strong. It is the girl filling out the largest sized tee and the one drowning in the smallest sized one. It is the women walking, dancing and smiling with their babies held close to their chests. It is those fighters, who didn't let setbacks, weakness or illness stop them from moving forward.Inspiration is all those women who proudly proclaimed their fears, flaws and insecurities on their bibs for the world to see.
This morning, I might have inspired some, for a few minutes, but I am inspired by so many.