MAKING SACRIFICES
I had been counting down to this night for weeks. Dinner was booked, outfit sorted, and after drowning in work for what felt like forever, I was ready – ready to switch off, have a laugh, and eat something that didn’t come from a sad Tupperware box. Then, just as I was about to savour delicious freedom, a request popped up in my inbox: There was a talk at a university in London about maintaining balance in your personal and professional life, and they needed a speaker. Specifically, me.
I’d love to say I immediately leapt at the opportunity. But honestly, my first thought was: Really? Tonight of all nights? I weighed my options. I mean, on any other night, I would’ve been all in. But this was my one evening of escape. And I was being asked to trade all that for a deep-dive into life’s pressures.
My friends would understand. But I couldn’t shake that feeling of missing out – the food, the laughter, the easy conversations. And yet, I knew. I knew what the right thing to do was.
So I went. And somewhere between sharing stories, answering questions, and hearing students open up about their own struggles, something shifted. I saw how much they needed to hear that they weren’t alone in feeling overwhelmed. That balance wasn’t about having it all figured out.
I remembered how useful I found conversations like these when I was in their shoes. And that the sacrifice I was making was as good for me as it was for them. The idea that selflessness isn’t always about physical action is something I heard a lot about growing up as a Sikh. Sometimes, it’s about offering time, knowledge, or simply being present when it would be easier to say no. But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. But the more I practice it, the more I see that sacrifice isn’t just about what we give up – it’s about what we choose.
That night, I may have missed out on a fancy dinner. But I left the university feeling something even better – connected, grounded and strangely at peace. And I still managed to meet up with my friends for dessert afterwards. Balance, right?
Other Moments of Pause