The ‘alive’ moments of life

      

    If you will go with the literal sense of this blog title, you may wonder if it has any meaning at all. Life is nothing but being alive and hence every moment of it is about ‘living’. Then how can I designate some moments under the ‘alive’ category. If each and every moment of our life journey is to be lived, is it possible to say we were ‘alive’ only during some of them? While few may argue that being alive is breathing air to sustain our birth on earth, I will definitely beg to differ.

      There is more to our life than taking in and throwing out air. As weird as it sounds, isn’t it the most accepted and assumed definition of ‘being alive’? Hence this blog post is designed to look at those special moments which go beyond the traditional mannerism of life. Moments which inspire us, moments that add happiness, moments that are out of the world, moments that make you realize that life is indeed beautiful. Away from the usual troubles, struggles, stress and worries, some special moments reinstate our belief in eternal happiness. If I am successful in putting forth my point so far, you will realize that I am talking about those ‘Aha’ moments.

   Each one of us encounter such phenomenal and unique experiences to fill our life with happiness and love. Whether it is traveling or listening to your favorite song, admiring the beauty of nature or simply dreaming with open eyes, life presents several such opportunities where you are thankful to be alive. You realize that life is indeed wonderful with its unbelievable stock of surprises. Such moments bring you closer to the joy of living. It is impossible to expect such moments along the routine trail of life. Or rather these moments are meant to be different; hence they should be unique in their own way. Specialty of such ‘alive’ moments lies in their uniqueness which do not enter into our lives easily. Only certain happy times inspire us to appreciate this birth.

     It is essential to recognize these alive moments to make the most of life. It can motivate us to look around for happiness rather than focusing over our mountain of troubles. It is rightly said that life as a whole is the greatest teacher one can ever have. Our journey teaches us several valuable lessons through the mode of experiences. Hence one such experience along my life journey has inspired me to create such moments along the way. Once cannot plan them in advance or gather fixed number in their stock to fill accomplished. The trick is to experience many such moments along the way and feel ‘alive’. Another significant aspect about these moments is ‘customization’. What appeals to you or qualifies as your happening time may not be the same for someone else. Hence hunt for your unique bag of happy moments and rejoice as you see the number increase.

    Think about your ‘Aha’ moments and pen them down. You may choose to keep it as your secret list or share it in the comment section. But either ways, I would love to know at least one of your alive moments. Now, time for my list that can inspire you to follow suit.

  Some of these moments may resonate with you and give you equal amount of happiness. While few others may not relate to you in any way. But as said, the trick lies in its uniqueness and customization.

   Here are my special moments when I am truly ‘alive’. Hunt for yours after all life is about being ‘alive’, isn’t it?

I am ‘alive’ when:

1.       ……my little nephew recognizes me during our video chat sessions and calls me ‘moushi’ (his word for maternal aunt)

2.        …. I savor first bite of food cooked by mom

3.       …. I listen to favorite parts of my favorite songs

4.       ….my written words make me satisfied and contended

5.       …. I admire waves of the beach

6.       …. The clouds, rainbow, sun and sky seem to smile at me

7.       ….calm look of water manages to calm me

8.       ….  a comedy show or movie delivers a perfect joke

9.       ….lyrics of a song seem to relate with my situation perfectly

10.   ….my prepared meals turn out exactly as I wish them to be

11.   …..I take first bite on a hungry stomach

12.   …. I read parts of a book that feel amazing

13.   ….I come across an inspirational quote that leaves me mesmerized

14.   ….a singer creates wonders with his/her notes

15.   ….. my husband cracks a joke that strikes a perfect chord (which is rare!)

16.   …..my elder sister starts the video call (excitement is to see my nephew. Dear sister, it’s not for you, just to clarify :)

17.   ….I see byline of my articles

18.   …..I find shade under scorching sun

19.   … I experience warmth of home after being out for long

Go ahead and enlist your moments. Let’s be alive now, you can always 'live’ later.  

Responsibility or opportunity? What is your take?

  

There is no doubt in the obvious fact that we look around for answers only when presented with questions.  During one such questionnaire with my mind, I was successful in stumbling upon my next blog title. Let me get straight to the question before I release my chain of thoughts. When I say responsibility or opportunity, my reference is towards the journey called ‘LIFE’.

Do you look at life as a ‘responsibility’ or an ‘opportunity’?

Should we follow our life as per instructions from an undocumented journal or should we customize it and enjoy the chance to ‘live’?

Is it your duty to live or is it an opportunity to explore?

Are you burdened under the task to live successfully or do you look forward to every moment it offers?

Let me stop my string of questions before you blame me for asking too much! 

   Having said this, I would appreciate if you could invest some thoughts on my questions and come up with your take over it. Till then, let me add my two cents over the subject as that is what bloggers do. Write, talk, write and talk again!

    My opinion tends to incline towards ‘opportunity’ as life is all about chances, efforts, dreams, hopes and happiness. Though each one of us have numerous responsibilities along the entire course of this birth, it does not mean we look at life as a ‘huge’ responsibility. It is just one part of our living, yet we are not burdened under some strict course. If we look at life as responsibility, we may lose the entire essence of enjoying it. Responsibility may bring limitations and restrictions. But opportunity stands for limitless possibilities. There is nothing in this world that can stop you from achieving your dreams, if you consider life as one big opportunity. It is within your hands to make, break, decorate or destroy. After all, life is one big ocean with expandable horizon.

 In order to enjoy life, it is essential to embrace freedom and work on customization. It is important to find out what appeals to our mind and walk along its course. Following a journal of pre-determined rules is not living. At the same time, forgetting our humanity is not living too. We have to take care of our worldly responsibilities at every stage of life, yet it is inappropriate to blame it for staying away from fun. It is possible to ascend the ladder of life, while enjoying every step in a personalized way.

   You must be wondering about the need to ponder about such a question. While fulfilling our responsibility to ‘live’, we tend to forget about the fun behind it. Routine course of our journey rarely gives us a chance to introspect and think. That is when blog posts like these force you to think. Rather than moving along with the herd, take time to figure out your course. Find out what opportunities await you. Grab the chance to live life your way, before it pulls you into its own way. We do not have control over situations and circumstances, yet we definitely have a control on our reactions to it.

   Moving over to the last phase of this blog, let me give you a feel of what life feels like as a ‘responsibility’ and as an ‘opportunity’. This may assist you, while you hunt for your answers.

Responsibility:

-          Monotonous

-          Safe

-          Pre-determined

-          Tried and tested formula

-          Boring

-          Tiresome

-          Overwhelming

Opportunity:

-          Challenging

-          Unique

-          Fun

-          Exciting

-          Experimental

-          Risky

-          Joyful

-          Satisfactory

  I am sure many of you may argue that it is not possible to categorize life into fixed teams. Yet, it is possible to give more weight-age to one over the other. Such demarcation can influence your journey, reminding you to live and not just survive. Responsibility is more about surviving as a human, while opportunity is about enjoying the pleasure of ‘being human’.

Make the most of this life as it is nothing less than a gift to treasure forever.

P.S: Your answers are awaited. It can be just a word if not an explanation, but it will really help to know what others think! 

The take- away message

     

     It is rightly said that your loved ones form the best critics, hence my husband’s critical remarks over my blog posts do not come as a surprise. A person who insisted that I should be positive in this battle, he forced me to look beyond the sad experiences. Instead of sharing the traumatic part of this story, his suggestion was to use the opportunity and share something valuable for the world to follow. “Write about what you learned from the experience rather than what the experience felt like” were his exact words that gave way to this blog title. While trying to make sense of the entire diagnosis and treatment so far, I am excited to share my take-away message with you all. Even if it inspires a single reader or motivates someone to draw sense out of their own story, it will be worth it.

    You learn to appreciate the positive aspects of any experience only when uncertainty blinds you. This is exactly what life chose to teach me as I value every single moment with open arms today. Life does not happen when we make plans about the future and craft dreams in our minds, it happens when situations and circumstances decide to play their game in the present. That is when you learn to live to the fullest as every single moment matters. I cannot endorse living in the present for others, but I can definitely share my life changing experience that deals with one day at a time.

      As my frame of reference shifts from one day to the next, I have realized true essence of the present. No wonder I feel that the saying ‘add life to your years and not years to your life’ must have been made especially for me as there is no better expression to convey my thought. I am sure I would not have thought about this if life continued on the same track as before. Just when you start taking things for granted, this beautiful gift called life chooses to shake you with an aim to appreciate its value every single day.

   It is often believed that a life-threatening condition puts a pause button to the course of journey. But, I can definitely stand strong against every single word of this popular belief as I feel it activates the ‘ON’ button. As you realize the value of every single day, it is difficult to ignore its presence or deny its significance. I have lived more after the start of this ‘C’ episode than what I would have otherwise. It is all about pumping more life into everything.

  With this, let me share my take-away message from the experience so far. I cannot claim that my lymphoma has turned me into a philosopher, but I can definitely declare that it has given me some strength to inspire someone somewhere, one way or the other.

1.       Happiness is in the present. It is here with you right now. Happiness is not something that you should postpone for tomorrow or wait for the right opportunity. It is with you to experience it along the way.

(Happiness is reading my blog right now! Why should I lose the opportunity to promote my work and take credit? …. after all make hay while the sun shines!)

2.       Fear is nothing but product of your baseless thought process. You give birth to it without any meaning or purpose. It is created as a result of living in your thoughts or imagining about the future. If you occupy yourself with the task in hand, you will realize there is no room for this fear or worry.

3.       Do not take anything for granted. Be it relationship, work, experience, adventure, asset or your surroundings. Take a moment to appreciate what you have and express your love from time to time.

4.       Make memories, gather experiences, travel, create stories, capture moments and take photographs. Do not live like a machine or limit yourself within typical specifications of a so-called ‘ideal’ or ‘perfect’ life.

5.       Learn something new or engage yourself in some fun activities. Take risks. Do something you have never done before. There is no harm in failing or embarrassment in trying something new.

6.       Accept everything that comes your way. There is a reason why it happens. Do not waste your time in trying to figure out ‘why’ it happened. You may never reach a satisfactory answer. Instead spend time in learning from what happened. It will definitely stay with you forever.

7.        Spend some quality time with yourself. As much as you like to be with your family and friends, it is equally important to talk to yourself. Engage in some positive activities and listen to your thoughts.

8.       Learn to forgive and forget. You may disagree with your loved ones or get angry with their conduct, but their love is definitely larger than these little misunderstandings which shall melt away with time.

I agree it is easy to preach but difficult to follow. Yet, listing out this take-away message is my first step towards following it. Do share your views or add your thoughts to this list. Together we can inspire one another to spread happiness all around.