Living at the edge !

I revisited today the photographs I have recently taken of the birds in our garden. 

This photo of a Drongo perched at the edge of a dry branch stood out as something to meditate on! The bird is blissfully restful and carefree, although it is only four inches from the edge of the branch at a height of about eighty meters! 

Birds fly between trees and often they choose to occupy places that would give them a good view of the surrounding. They are not permanent residents in any place except when they nest. They live by finding its food and shelter. They need to be on guard from predators. 

Yesterday, I had two educationalists visiting me when the topic of 'vocation in teaching' came up in the conversation.

I remember that my parents earned less than a mason or carpenter or such other semiskilled workers when they started as teachers. Both of them chose teaching because they considered that as an opportunity to nurture, mould and foster young minds into a formative process. They lived stressfully financially in the earlier years of their married lives, but benefitted from several salary revisions before they retired.  They even received reasonable monthly pension on retirement.

I got to know something about 'living at the edge' from the way my parents lived. I was encouraged to study well to earn a merit scholarship from the government, which saw me through my medical education. Perhaps this enablement I received from the government mad me socially conscious and encouraged me to stay on in India and work professionally as an act of acknowledgement of what I owe to the people of India. 

Almost all of my friends in Medical College migrated to other countries immediately after the graduation, to study and work overseas. I remember couple of them telling me that ' You would end up living with far less professionally and financially if you were to stay in India'!

It was a struggle to choose to live at the edge financially, but it was only for a season in the earlier years of professional life. 

Now looking back, over the forty years of my professional life, I feel overwhelmed by what I have been given! A painter who came to look at our cottage to repaint it, mentioned that the cottage although is old and not well planned, is a 'homely' place ! He offered to paint it at a lower daily wages because he liked the cottage. Just another small reminder to me that, to live at the edge is not risky, but the edge is a place of many provisions.

Some think of the edge equivalent to being in the frontier!

An edge is a place where some choose to live and work because that is where human service is most needed. 

When I set out to practice full time Developmental paediatrics in 1983, I was the only one at that time in this pursuit in India. The other full time professionals, two of them appeared in the scene after ten years. Subsequently, I have come across in the recent years about twenty who are exclusively devoted to practicing this specialty. There might be over two hundred paediatricians with an interest in Developmental Paediatrics, but not fully devoted to it. 

Yes, to live at the edge is lonely and demanding. 

But it is also a place where human experiences of receiving goodwill transcend our expectations!

It is a place where inner growth and fullness of life take a depth that one would not have anticipated. It is also a place where you would feel confined to, with others located in the mainstream thinking of you disregardfully or lightly!

To be at the edge would call for being active to communicate and stay in touch with others! 

I feel grateful for some tangible initiatives that come into being through this experience of living at the edge professionally!  

It is natural for some to choose to live at the edge and experience the mystery of abundance of goodness and provisions beyond all expectations!

There is celebration and joy while living at the edge!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)