Once Covid was over, restrictions eased and schools started, I was faced with a new situation. Adi had to start schooling and I didn’t know where to send him. I wanted him to have a social atmosphere, but at the same time I didn’t want to overwhelm him. Yet again, I was clueless about the next step — a crucial one.
I spoke to his therapist and she suggested a school nearby. On her recommendation, we visited the school and discussed Adi’s case with the counsellor there. They said they would take a call after meeting Adi. The next day, once they met him, they decided to enrol him — and I finally felt a little hopeful for Adi.
Adi was starting a new chapter in his life, and I was both happy and scared. Happy that he got this chance. But also worried… How would he react? Would he adapt to the new surroundings? How would he communicate? The questions were endless. My mind was in a constant loop, cooking up all possible stories — and none of them were good.
Soon it was his first day at school. We were asked to wait somewhere nearby for the first week, just in case he was uncomfortable. New environment, new people… I didn’t know how he would handle it.
But my boy was a champ.
He adjusted so well that we didn’t have to wait for the whole week. By the third day, he started taking the school cab. It was as if he had been doing it for a long time.
The school setup was small and nothing too fancy by city standards, but my Adi was taken care of beautifully there. The teachers and caretakers looked after him with so much love and patience, that I slowly started feeling at ease.
He loved going to school so much that even on weekends, he would wear his bag and wait at the door, ready to leave.
That phase taught me something very profound. Most situations in life somehow find their way of working out. We worry too much — about outcomes, reactions, things that haven’t even happened yet. We carry fears about situations we can’t fully control.
Focusing on the “now” is not easy. But sometimes, that’s the only thing we can do. And with Adi, I learnt that the “now” can surprise you… in the most beautiful ways.