It was a sunny afternoon as the dismissal bell rang at my school, signaling the end of another day of classes. However, instead of going to the usual bus stop like most students, I decided to take the longer route and walk home. You see, I had a special reason for not catching the bus that day - I wanted to save the bus fare to invest it in my budding fishkeeping hobby.

Fishkeeping had quickly become a passion of mine ever since I got my first Koi fish a few months prior. I constantly dreamed up ways to upgrade and improve my home aquarium setup. However, these new additions, like live plants, decorative ornaments, and better quality fish food, required money.

As a student without a regular source of income, every rupee counted. So, that afternoon, I consciously chose to sacrifice the convenience of the bus and instead traverse the couple extra kilometers on foot, all so I could put the ₹ towards my underwater kingdom.

The walk gave me time to daydream about all the possibilities for my savings. Maybe I could buy a new plant to help clean the water or some algae wafers to supplement my fish’s diets. I smiled, thinking about how excited I would be to make the purchases and see their reactions. Before long, I had arrived home, tired but proud that I was one step closer to improving my fishies’ home.

That small act of walking instead of taking the bus made a big difference. Over time, it allowed me to gradually upgrade my basic tank into a lush aquatic paradise. And it was well worth it, as the fish that outlived all others and brought me the most joy was my first - a Three Spot Gourami. Its vibrancy and personality never ceased to amaze me, even years after all my other aqua pets had passed.

I’m still grateful for all the lessons fishkeeping taught me, and those walks home helped make those early days of the hobby so rewarding.