There might come a point in your life where you feel that nothing makes sense. You might be at your lowest. However, there is always a way to take a second shot at life and this woman’s journey is an example of how!
Meet 31-year-old Aanie, a native of Thiruvananthapuram, a single mother who went from selling lemonade at Varkala 10 years ago to returning to the same place as a sub-inspector.
According to The Indian Express, Aanie’s journey began when she was 18 and studying in college. Against her parents’ will, she married a guy and had a child. A year later, when she was 19, they separated. Her parents wouldn’t accept her back, she and her son took refuge at her grandmother’s place.
Aanie went on to complete her education and pursued a post-graduate degree via distance learning. But she struggled to land a decent job and therefore, had to work odd jobs like that of a door-to-door salesperson to selling policies at banks.
Later, she was told by someone that selling lemonade and ice cream at tourist destinations is a good idea as it had a decent profit margin. So, she started selling lemonade at Varkala, a popular beach location.
Because she was a single mother, Aanie found it difficult to rent a home. So she had to move from place to place. Eventually, she chopped off her hair because it made it easier for her to stay anywhere, saving her from “unwarranted stares”.
Soon, a relative encouraged her to apply for police services and even loaned her some money to apply for the exam.
“It was my father’s dream to make me an IPS officer. So I studied very hard and it became my mission to get a job. It’s no use crying over the circumstances of our life. We have to make a leap. It’s not a defeat until we decide that we have lost,” she said.
She managed to crack the exam and in 2016, she became a civil police officer. Later, she also cracked the exam for the sub-inspector’s position. After 18 months of training, she was positioned as the sub-inspector at Varkala police station.
“Ten years ago, I sold lemonade and ice cream to people coming for the Varkala Sivagiri pilgrimage. Today, I return to the same place as a sub-inspector of police. How better can I take revenge on my past?” she said.
In case you are looking for some inspiration today to get through life, this is it!