All my life, I was in a hurry!
When I was in school, I wanted to be in college.
When I was in college, I used to dream about being able to go to the university!
When I was in the university, I wanted to be able to start working and embark on a career.
I wanted to grow up. I wanted to be independent!
I wanted to be in control of my life and my decisions.
So, I was always on the run, always in a hurry to hop on to the next phase of my life.
Now, I feel that I haven’t lived at all!
I feel robbed!
The society has taught us this.
Do This. And also that.
It’s not enough!
Do more! And still more.
Accomplish this before the time runs out.
We are so so afraid of missing that train, of being left behind, that we keep on running, jumping through the hoops.
This endevor of always having to, needing to do more, to do better, leaves us breathless and exhausted.
This is the price of relentless productivity.
We don’t allow ourselves to feel the beauty contained in a moment.
The moments of idleness.
The pursuit of “nothing”.
Allowing yourself to get off the treadmill of perfection.
To let go.
Life’s bliss is not always found in the accomplishment of big goals and huge goals.
It is also found in things as seemingly small and insignificant, but precious as…
A cup of tea enjoyed in the porch or balcony…
The unscheduled nap on the couch…
Spending 15 minutes more soaking in your bathtub.
Dancing or exercising to your favorite track.
Playing hide and seek with your child.
Feeling the warmth of your pet in your lap and around your feet.
So, savor these moments.
Life is happening….
Unfolding every moment…
Its beauty embedded in the hum and drum of ordinariness….
in our homes, workplaces…
In the kitchen when we cook
And at the dinner table when we sit together, converse, laugh aloud and eat…
In our cars, during the commute and even in the traffic jam
In our beds, in the dreams we see…
on the prayer mat, in the prayers we say, silently and out aloud…
In our pain and yearnings….
In our gratitude and thankfulness….
All of this is life!
So, collect these moments of serenity and serendipity, that are like
The sea shells on the shore….
The stars on the horizon of your life.
Don’t always rush through life.
Stay back, sit back, lean back. Hold back!
Let go of that tightened breath.
Let go of the urgencies, the emergencies, the deadlines.
Don’t fixate for the moment in the spotlight!
One day when you would be pass your prime and would look back, you would see these moments as the testament, the proof of a life lived well, enjoyed in its entirety.
