Live Today

“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon – instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.” – Dale Carnegie

Every year Monsoon brings with it range of ailments with it in city of Mumbai. I was sitting in doctors clinic today and could see patients of varying ages with multiple ailments coming to doctor. I wondered how any disease /infection can grip person of any age. Recently a young colleague got a stroke at workplace. Luckily by God's grace and timely medical help he is hale and hearty now. But it really makes me think the unpredictability of our condition.

We always live with a feeling of living for a long time in future. We keep on planning things and act accordingly. Many times we postpone small little joys in planning for future. Planning is good and we need it to have a secured and stable future. But is the future really in our hands??

We work throughout the day for earning money, name and fame. Each one of us is motivated by some reason. That reason keeps us on toe and doesn’t let us sit idle. In this pursuit we may start ignoring health, family, small moments of togetherness and relaxation.In our journey towards our goal it is very natural to lose balance of all things. Very few people are successful in achieving balance of work and life.

Friends I have started getting a feeling that our life is much above our materialistic achievements-money, luxuries, popularity, appreciation.

The first and foremost important truth is that Life is unpredictable and no one can predict it. Millions of rupees ,popularity or success can do nothing when life is to end. "Kal ho na ho " is the ultimate truth and so is the moment we live.

We overburden ourselves with expectations-created by us, by our family and by the society we live.Do we really do what we –our innerself want to do??How often do we indulge in activities from which we derive pleasure and inner peace??I guess this question has the answer to most of our problems. The less we indulge in such moments the less we live.

I strongly feel that life is not by the number of days or number of hours but the good feel we have derived from each moment.Duration of life is in nobody’s control but quality surely is.

I have seen many people saving throughout their lives to have a good future. They keep on controlling their desires and wishes ,live miserly .Such continuous controlling surely takes a toll on emotional, mental and consequently on physical health too.Saving for future is good but there needs to be a reasonableness. Indulging in some outing, shopping once a while as per ones wish adds immensely to happiness quotient.

People have a tendency to laugh at women for shopping. But it is therapeutic for many women. It gives them a break from everyday 24*7 schedule. It is not the thing they shop that matters but the experience makes them fresh.

We keep on working to secure our child’s future but we need to understand that our physical presence our interaction may be more important at this point of time. Friends how often do we express our love and care for our near and dear ones??Such expression takes a few minutes but can go a long way in strengthening the bonds. These bonds are much more valuable and secure than the financial bonds which are subject anyways to market risks.

We keep on postponing our hobbies to some timeline where we imagine ourselves to have free time. But friends do we really get such time unless we take it on seriously??

It happens with me everytime I decide to have an exercise regime. I substitute it with some other program-work, office, household chores, kid’s time. Then some day when I am not well I realize that some exercise could have saved me from the pain of going through the treatment and medication.

One of my close friends went for a dangerous excursion to Himalayas recently. I did initially not understand what was so motivating for all the trekkers to do so. In fact why all people who go for excursions, paragliding or any adventure activities are ready to risk their lives .But then the fact is we need to live in present .How long can one postpone the thrill if one surely loves it.??? Is there any guarantee of future or healthy and fit future??

Visit to a hospital makes us understand how vulnerable we are. I recently read last wordings of Steve Jobs- “ Material things lost can be found. But one thing you can never find when you lose: life. Whatever stage of life where we are right now, at the end we will have to face the day when the curtain falls.”

Friends how content and how peaceful we are at the last moment of life is all that matters. We all need to work to sustain in this materialistic world but we can make a habit of stealing some quality moments for ourselves, for our loved ones, spending some amount freely on our wishes and indulging in some activities which really obsess us.

We never know the future span be we can atleast live the life today.

Alyson Noel has rightly said,

“You should never fast-forward into the future. Because every time you do, you rob yourself of the journey, the present moment, which, in the end, is all there really is.”