The Present is Right Here Right Now – Savour It

As the world is evolving into a Global village, everything around us is changing. While we are running with time, it is our lifestyle that has got affected. Our perspectives have changed. Our visions are limited, stressed and skewed. We have become confined to little spaces of our careers, families and self interest. Life has taken an ‘instant’ tag; something that has to be chased and achieved today. When was it last that you stopped to watch the setting sun, or turned back to smile at the boy who once upon a time polished your shoes or stopped on the highway when you saw another car with a flat tire? If you did not do all this, it was not your fault. You were always rushing from one thing to the other and ‘there was no time.’ Will it not be a great thing if you had time? Time to stop and feel life?

Our career, performance and success are important; however, they are not what we are living for. What do you do with success, if you do not have the time to lie on your back under a sky full of stars? What do you do with performance, when you are not able to attend your daughter’s valediction ceremony? What is the point in having a brilliant career, when your doctor has cautioned you against the stress that you are taking? After all, we strive to make our lives’ better.

So, what is the definition of a better life? Imagine a life where you can start your day with a healthy walk in a serene locale and end your day in the cozy confines of your family and friends. A life where you do not have to rush to work, early in the morning, so that you can avoid the heavy traffic. A life where you need to manage only your work, and not burden yourself with issues related to your home, knowing that your loved ones are in trusting care. A life where a guest or friend, dropping in, is welcome, as it does not throw your routine out of gear. A life where you do not have to plan small recreations such as eat-outs or movies, because someone had the foresight to make this available at your convenience.

Happiness comes from within, so the experts say. Having said this, can we ignore the fact that our environment is a prime contributor to our happy existence? By environment I mean both our natural and artificial environment. The nip of an early Winter morning, the waft of an earthy Monsoon wind, or the lightness of a Spring breeze that teases you in the evening; imagine a life when you can experience nature in all its beautiful hues. And, when man adds his creativity to nature’s splendor, the experience can only be treasured.

All of us dream of such a life; we get transported into quaint little towns, where the dream merchants of the country shoot their movies. The tree-lined avenues, sculptured lawns, perfectly structured beautiful houses, spotless streets, babies on the lawns, dogs on the front porch, children playing ball, women doing an unhurried shopping in the local store; a fairy tale setting we murmur happily, as we troop out of theatres and out of those dream hours, wistfully thinking, “what if!”