It's a hard and a sad fact that today, for far too many of us, busyness has become the default state. And often times, we are rushing through life. Rather than enjoying life, we all seem to be in a frenetic rush to the finish line, so much that we hardly ever take a pause to even notice and appreciate the tiny joyful moments. We are working longer hours, we are giving up on life's little pleasures and comforts, we are making sacrifices on fun activities, we are pushing our wish lists to the future, because we all wish to live the “good life”; if not now, then in the near future. But do we ever get that "good life"? No. Not everyone. Not always. Even those who seem to have got the "good life" remain too busy, stressing over their professional obligations, family responsibilities, financial security, EMIs and bills, to actually enjoy that "good life". Thus life, instead, continues to remain drab and gloomy and full of stress.
It’s not as if anyone wants to live like this. We all wish that our lives had no constraints (financial or otherwise), nothing to hold us back. We could have then lived our lives freely in our own ways. Life could have been so easy and joyful. How I wish I had more freedom from financial burdens! What if I didn't have to worry about my next loan EMIs, the medical bills, the monthly budget, the school fees of my kid etc? I wouldn't have to live with anxieties. I could have, probably, then devoted more time and energy to truly enjoy life. Life would be so much more meaningful if I can accomplish things on my 'to-do' list, those that I have been postponing since long. If given a chance, I would surely love to start at once and fulfill some of these most cherished wishes.
I have always been passionate about music. At one point in time, I had almost made up my mind to be a musician - a guitarist. Since my childhood, ever since I heard the starting guitar strums in the evergreen number "neele neele ambar par...", I have remained enamoured by its tunes and the notes. It so happened that when I was a child, I had gone to my grandpa's place during one vacation and saw him play the guitar to the song. Though I was very young at that time but when I asked him to teach me to play it, he did let me hold the guitar and strum it. That was my first brush with the magical instrument and an instant fascination for it ensued. My father too was a keen guitarist in his young days and when I shared my wish to learn playing the guitar, he bought me one and encouraged me too; he was my first guitar teacher, I learnt the basics from him. He even enrolled me into a professional guitar school thereafter and I did learn quite a bit. But the pressures of studies and my ambitions for the future trumped my love for the guitar and I couldn't complete my learning. It's been years now since I last played it. I wish to learn fully how to play the guitar and may be, someday, cut my own album too, hahaha. I wish I didn't have to worry about my financial insecurities, I could then devote enough time to practice playing it.
I have also been very fond of cooking. And I have been nurturing this dream of opening my own restaurant someday for a long time, but haven't been able to accomplish it as yet. Even as a child, I would often watch closely how mummy was preparing a particular dish and would note down the steps in a diary. so that I could cook that dish later on, repeating her method. I would often tell her during those days that I would someday open a restaurant and would name it as hers - Manju's Rasoi. To me, she is the world's best cook; she always used to tell me that the love with which one cooks the food, shows in the taste. That's so true, her love for us actually reflects in the dishes she prepares for us. Though my studies never allowed me that much time to pursue my culinary passion during my student days but that wish to start a restaurant of my own some day has still remained in my heart. I too would want to spread love through my prepared delicacies. Starting a restaurant is no child's play though and it requires not just investment in terms of money but also of time and commitment. But given my familial responsibilities, as of now, I can't give up my secure job to try my hands at my passion.
Another wish from my 'to-do' list that I have been postponing since long is to take my parents on a foreign trip. Mummy had once wished to visit Australia after she was blown away by their stunning white beaches and the coral reefs while watching one particular episode on the Discovery channel. But my work commitments haven't allowed me to fulfill her wish until now. I wish I could make her happy at once by taking her and Papa to Australia someday soon.
Painting is another childhood passion that got left behind somewhere while growing up. Though I used to paint a lot when I was young but like with guitar, my interest in painting too got subdued by my career goals and studies. Professional life has become so hectic these days that one doesn't find enough time to indulge in fun activities or to follow his long-lost passions. It's been years now since I last picked up the brush but if given a chance, I would love to renew my relationship with the colours and the brushes. How enjoyable that would be if I could spend my days in nature's lap among lush greenery and quaint hills somewhere and revive my painting skills by depicting the surroundings on the canvas!
There is another long-lost love of mine that has been lying on my 'to-do' list since long, I have been wanting to restart it again but haven't been able to -- clay sculpture. It's yet another childhood passion that I have been neglectful about, the last few years. I wish I had enough time to devote to it. Because not many things gladden my heart as much as when I squish clay with my hands. The feel of wet, slippery clay, to be able to create something and to be able to give shape to a form, nothing compares to that joy that I experience. I remember how I used to create miniature shiv ling idols when I was a child. I wish to start making those idols once again, I wish to start sculpting once again.
Life would be so much fun if we had no tensions to worry about and if we could just follow our heart and do what we love to do!
