Hindsight 20-20

Part 1: The Event Back in younger age days, Going to grad school in Boulder, Colo, was no fun, Lots of course work, research work, little time to socialize, Professor had to meet his grants timeline, One nice Saturday morning, a few grad schoolgirls, Called and invited me to go to Copper mountain ski resort, How can I resist such a social invitation, I was ready in the morning dressed up in my winter gears, We hit the road, within couple of hours, we were at the ski resort, Went down to rental shop, got fitted with skis and matching boots, I had not confessed yet to the girls that I was still learning how to ski, We went up the chairlift, I was helped at the top by attendants to get on my feet, The girls were good, they took off on their skis down the slope, I started down slowly on the slopes, till I reached a junction of treks, I started one way, changed my mind to take another trek, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, no one dared to lift him up, I was buried in the snow with face down, till an older gentleman came by, Turned me around, took my skis off, called the ski patrol, By the late afternoon, girls came to the clinic looking for me, Advised me, I should have stayed down, and practiced on beginner’s slopes. Part 2: The Hindsight and lessons learned I was on crutches for a month, The diagnosis of hyperextended ligaments was not true, I had knee surgery to get back hopping in a few weeks. The lesson I learned, is never show off, know your limits, Fun can await on some other day, There was human temptation at that age, To impress the girls, maybe make a girlfriend, One girl would come once in a while, Bring food and consolation for my well-being, She gradually disappeared; I was back to work. Now in hindsight, it was a great lesson learned, People like the winners, not the losers, Exceed in your effort, show your talent where you are good, Research is hard work, like poets writing poems, With only a few readers and good comments, I found solace in my effort and kept myself going in life. Pretend not to be master of all the knowledge needed, Talk to the juniors and experts, if help is required, Assuming that you can do it all on your own, It is inviting trouble to a bright future.