sweet ’n’ sour tape #25: fragments
story
Mr. Boyd had a calm but stern look on his face, “Kunal, I want to go over your paper. It doesn’t make sense,” I stared at him quietly as he pointed out each mistake, every fragment, verb disagreement, and run-on sentence, etc.
Mr. Boyd, with a touch of sincere concern, asks me, “Do your parents not speak English? Is English not your first language? You’re a bright student, so maybe it’s difficult switching between languages.” I chuckle out of embarrassment, “No, my parents speak English, and English is my first language.” He shakes his head, “I’ll let you rewrite this paper, and after school, we can go over grammar rules if you want to.”
I don’t remember much after. I did go back to Mr. Boyd’s room when school ended, and we spent 30–45 minutes going over how I could improve, but I don’t know if anything came out of it; I don’t even remember if I rewrote the paper. This moment seemed inconsequential, but in hindsight, it marked a pivot point in my life.
credo
Self
“Many people die at twenty-five and aren’t buried until they are seventy-five.”
“Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances.”
“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your inner voice.”
Kaizen
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”
“Let the improvement of yourself keep you so busy that you have no time to criticize others.”
Never Cut Corners
“The truly scary thing about undiscovered lies is that they have a greater capacity to diminish us than exposed ones. They erode our strength, our self-esteem, our very foundation.”
“Live today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Just today. Inhabit your moments. Don’t rent them out tomorrow.
“Details matter, it’s worth waiting to get it right.”
To Grow, help others grow
“It’s hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse.”
“Always remember people who have helped you along the way, and don’t forget to lift someone up.”
“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.”
“A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.”
Focus
“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
Friendships
“Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.”
“The man of knowledge must be able not only to love his enemies but also to hate his friends.”
“Let us cultivate our garden.”
