Do we handle it or is it the other way round?
They
simply don’t say “Old is gold”. Only old, can help us get hold of gold. So, to
get your hands on unalloyed gold, hear from the old, the “UNTOLD”. Befuddled?
Worry not! It’s neither the promotion of the mono colossal sensation “KGF” nor a
gold mining manual. Without beating around the bush any further, let me slide
down straight to the point!
“Inexperience
is an experience in itself”, Captain whispered and continued,
“Unless
you experience the inexperience, how can you experience the experience?” (Captain is my first and oldest friend for
life. To enjoy his other interesting ideologies, do check the link attached- https://sahanaaswathanarayana.blogspot.com/2021/03/its-time-to-embrace-real.html) He imparted this abstract wisdom to me when I hopelessly questioned
him, “What
inspires this existence to throw innumerable shocks and surprises at us without
even giving heads up? How are we expected to absorb it and move ahead?”, because my recently born rational mind
had given way, leaving my emotional buoyancy disrupted, as I was deeply pained
by the just then known fact that captain had developed a terminal medical
condition which bothered him for not more than a couple of hours. May be, once
we grow old, the feeling of “I know it
all since I’ve seen it all” sinks deep into our minds; at least that is
what my encounters with oldsters have persuaded me to believe. But since I was still
young and devoid of the aptitude to accept “it
is what it is“, struggling to breathe through the situation, I simply blurted out
that life was such an enigmatic phenomena involving a medley of nonsensical
events, to which captain threw a smile in agreement, placed his laced fingers
on his chest, which was his usual style of sleeping and calmly slid into deep
sleep.
It was
about an hour before he woke up, just to find me still glued to the easy chair
beside him, leaning back and staring at the roof, with eyes wide open. He
nudged me and ordered me to stop mulling over what had just happened and hand
him over, “THE WEEK”, his favorite magazine, as the clock struck his reading
time. I gave him a look of despair and was about to say something when he
tenderly caressed my hair and said, “Hey
girl! Calm down. It’s no big deal. Everything shall resume its natural order in a couple of days,
cheer up and carry on with your daily duties.” His reply did not convince
my naïve sense, so I simply decided to carry out his orders. I gave him the
magazine and with a morose expression on my face, rose from the chair and mumbled,
“Natural order in a couple of days? I am
hoping to witness the magic too!”
Hearing
my dejection, Captain assertively said, “Wait!
Don’t go! Sit down. Your perception is in dire need of correction and it can’t
wait.” Holding onto the morose
expression, I simply obeyed him and settled back into the easy chair. Without
wasting a minute he began, “It’s not magic;
it’s the pattern that life merely follows.” I blankly gazed at him, as I
felt weak to absorb anymore wisdom. Still, he continued, “Though I’ve touched my eighties, I haven’t yet forgotten, that until I was 6 years old, my father would
lovingly wake me up every day, wheedle me to brush my teeth as I fussed a lot
about it, gave me bath and got me ready for the day. I would skip the entire
morning routine if he had to leave early for work, though my mother did the
same with equal love. One fine day, he never woke up to witness the rising sun
as he left us for good. It was hopeless in the beginning, but surprisingly I
got accustomed to a life without him. Then, during my late twenties, once I was
well-settled, I married and had my own family. We lead a comfortable yet
disciplined life without having to compromise on anything. Just when things
were sailing smooth, an unexpected crossroad cropped up due to which I had to
resign from the job and my differently challenged destiny did not bestow upon me
other suitable opportunities. Subsequently, the limits grew tighter, comforts demanded
compromise and it was a total new life with boundaries all over. Initial days
were arduous but unconsciously, we acclimatized to this as well. And, there
came a day when I had no option but to dispose off my 80 year old, ancestral
abode in which I had made memories for more than 4 decades. I could no longer
enjoy the warmth of my deceased parents and ancestors as I was moving to a
rented house. The initial days in the new house were sore and lacked the vibe
of comfort. But once again, the discomfiture did not persist for long as I
began to feel at home with time. As if all this was not sufficient; during my
middle age, I helplessly witnessed the bond that was meant to be “forever” turning
sour and transpire into “Never ever”. Life had gifted me with a childhood chum and
our love for each other had no horizons. We shared a deep understanding which
was almost proportionate to a mother and her child’s. A mere disagreement
between his brother and me over an unworthy matter curdled our fondness for
each other. If he did not understand my side of the story, he could have at
least refrained from misunderstanding it, as, that would have made all the
difference. Nevertheless, I don’t wish to condemn him as our deformed fate is
to be blamed for. My evening tea and Sunday breakfast was never the same post
this incident, nonetheless, life went on. Here comes one more; fifteen years
ago, for the first time ever, I experienced how it was to feel unnerved, when my
blessing of highest value, “my better half”, was suddenly subtracted from my
life. My preparedness could not suffice for a life without her endearing
partnership. I felt vacant and hallow during the early days of her departure,
but eventually, I got used to it as life resumed its normal course.”
After a
patient narration of all these painful instances, he paused, let out a long
sigh and continued in a faint tone,” So,
it is magic, yet not. Every time a vicissitude makes its way into our lives, it
is sure to create ripples of uneasiness. But the uneasiness can never persist
for long because of this underlying human nature which is none other than,
“ADAPTIBILITY”. Yes! “Human being is ADAPTIBLE”. We have been installed with a natural high intensity shock absorber
within us. Any event, whatever may be the intensity, you’ll still be okay,
because you eventually “adapt”. Just think about it. Birth, death and the
transitions between these two events, be it physical, psychological or
circumstantial, we simply adapted. Without any special efforts, we adapted
ourselves to every learning or even unlearning. The minute we were born, we possessed no choice but to ADOPT the
culture of this existence and simply ADAPT to its antics and dynamics. So, we
are organically capable of transforming ourselves into the synonym of an
antonym and TIME plays the catalyst here. Now cheer up if you value what you’ve
just heard and go ahead with your usual routine. Will you honey?”
Smiling
in agreement, I rose from the chair and replied to captain, “I shall indeed! Why will I not? Because now, I too know it all that it is nothing at all, so
just forget it all and simply live it all! This moment, I am aware that you
and I shall eventually feel comfortable in the skin of this new situation
captain. I feel a lot better after realizing this. I’ll see you then. Should you need anything, please tell me, I
shall bring it along tomorrow when I visit you.”
Beaming
with excitement, smiling like a child, he waggishly winked and blurted, “Yes! Of course! A packet of hot assorted
fries and fritters should be enough”. I giggled and winked back at him as I
realized that he had already adapted!
Simple thoughts to live well!
Think about it yourself!
The ups, the downs, the flight, the sail, the run, the
walk, the hop, the crawl! Every stage in life is a change in itself. Do we deal
with it, not really! It’s actually the other way round. We don’t handle the
changes but the changes handle us. We hustle through the hassle just to become
one with it.
Comments
Post a Comment