Mind speak

ಜಾರಿ ಹೋಗುತಿರುವ ದಿನಗಳು, ಕಳೆದು ಹೋಗುತಿರುವ ಜೀವನ, ಓಡಿ ಹೋಗುತಿರುವ ಕ್ಷಣಗಳು. ನೋಡು ನೋಡುತಿದ್ದಂತೆ ಕಣ್ಣು ಮುಂದೆಯೇ ಬದುಕು ಕುದುರೆಯನ್ನೇರಿ ವೇಗವಾಗಿ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಅದರ ಜೊತೆ ನಾನೂ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆಗೆ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆ ಸೇರಿಸ ಬೇಕು ಅಂದರೆ ಏನೋ ನನ್ನನು ತಡೆದು ಹಿಡಿದಂತೆ.  ಮುಂದೆ ಹೋಗಲಾರದೆ, ಹಿಂದೆಯೂ ತಿರುಗಲಾರದಂತೆ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿ. ಎಲ್ಲ ಇದ್ದು ಏನೋ ಕೊರತೆ. ಯಾವುದನ್ನೋ ಹುಡುಕ್ಕುತಿರುವ ತವಕ, ಬಯಸುತ್ತಿರುವ ಹಂಬಲ. ಬಹುಷಃ, ಇದನ್ನೇ ಗ್ನ್ಯಾನಿಗಳು  ಜೀವನೋದ್ದೇಶ ಅನ್ನುತಿದ್ದರೇನೋ. ನಮ್ಮ ಬದುಕಿನ ಸಾರ್ಥಕತೆ ಕಂಡುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು ನಮ್ಮ ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿ. ಕಲವರು ಜೀವನವೇ ಪಯಣಾ ಅಂದರೆ, ಕೆಲವರು ಪಯಣವೆ ಜೀವನ ಅನ್ನುವರು. ಕಯ್ಯಿ ಚಾಚಿ ಕಳೆದು ಹೋದುದನು ಬಾಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಹೋದರೆ ಒಂದು ಹಿಡಿ ಜೀವನವೂ ದೊರಕದು. ಅಂದುಕೊಂಡರೆ ಎಲ್ಲವೂ ಇದೆ, ಇಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೆ ಏನೂ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಇರುವ ಮತ್ತು ಇಲ್ಲದಿರುವ ನಡುವೆಯ ತುಮುಲವೇ ಬದುಕು. ನನ್ನೊಳಗಿನ ಬರಡು ಭೂಮಿಯನ್ನು ಹಸಿರಾಗಿ ಮಾಡುವ ರೀತಿಯನ್ನು ನಾನು ಹುಡುಕಬೇಕಿದೆ. ನಡೆಯುವ ದಾರಿ ಎಷ್ಟು ಮುಖ್ಯವೋ, ಹೊಗ್ಗುತಿರುವ ದಿಕ್ಕು ಹಾಗು ಪಯಣದ ಉದ್ದೇಶವೂ ಅಷ್ಟೇ ಮುಖ್ಯ. ಆದಷ್ಟು ಬೇಗ ಈ ದಾರಿ, ಉದ್ದೇಶ ಮತ್ತು ದಿಕ್ಕನ್ನು ನಾ ಪಡೆಯುವಂತೆ ಆಗಲಿ ಎಂದು ಬಯಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.

What is hope? It's the fresh air that breezes past on a gloomy day. It's the drops of rain that cleanse the soul. It's the birth of a child promising new life. It's the sunrise orange that paints the early morning sky. It's the smile of contentment on the face of a dying person. It's the warm hug from a loved one. It's the hand that reaches out to you in the dark to guide the way. It's God answering all your prayers in his signature style. It's a hen tied to a rope, waiting to be slaughtered but not giving up on the struggle to live. It's the trust with which you dive from the sky knowing the rope will not give in. It's saying "I will see you around" or "Talk to you in the morning". It's saving a piece of the cake to eat the next day. It's grabbing a tiny piece of rock to climb ahead, the mighty mountain.

Everything in life is such a balancing act. There is a thin line differentiating many things. So much so we all tread the path with care, trying to maintain our balance and avoiding that nasty fall. The rope may hurt our legs, the stick may make our hands pain. But that will not deter us from moving ahead. Caution and concentration are the key words. Knowing how to move and when to stop, knowing when you are being too fast and when you can take the risk of surging ahead. Another main thing is eliminating the distractions and being a horse with it's blinkers on. What that does is make the path ahead so much more clearer. But the main thing which edges you on is courage. Observe how the little girl in the picture is so confident and calm. Practice and conviction have helped her perfect her job so much so that it seems like sleep walking to her. We must look to be like her- doing our job, earning our living and not losing out in the face of adversity.

                       For it is in giving that we receive.                                                     -St. Francis of Assisi Such true words. We stand so much to gain by giving than by receiving from another. There is so much joy one can experience when one gives and helps someone. It is a feeling that can only be experienced by actual action. I do not consider myself as being one of those generous people but when it comes to being there when someone really needs you or helping someone at the right time, I am not that bad. Today is one of those days. I am feeling good inside and feeling good about myself. Glad to be of use to someone who deserves it, glad to be able to add a smile on someone's face, glad to be able to matter when it counts. Somewhere in the back of my mind I am also grateful to God that he has made me so capable as to be in a position to be able to stand as support, for having made me compassionate enough to respond to a good cause.

There is so much more to me than what I see, There is so much more to life than the breathe I add. There is so much more to the world around that makes more sense that I think, There are so many more moments, so many more laughs, so many more places. There is so much more to experience, so many more disappointments to face, So many more successes to celebrate, so many more dreams to be fulfilled. So many more milestones to be crossed, so many more obstacles to be overcome- That a little more time would not hurt, a little more patience would be great. A little more courage would be perfect and a little more perseverance  would do wonders. Looks like the day is too short, the moments are too trivial One life doesn't seem to be enough to say, truly- That I have lived a complete life!

Look at that tiny hand print next to the big one. Notice any difference besides the size? Yes, the colour of course. But what I had in mind was different. When I was admiring it, I couldn't help but notice that the imprint of the big one was much lighter and blurred. In contrast the imprint of the smaller hand was more clear and more firm. That's what differentiates a child from an adult. Children are more open to experiment, more willing to try. As a result, the outcome is bold and distinct . The small hand is my daughter's. While we were doing this I was hesitant, not sure how it would turn out to be. My daughter, on the other hand, put her hand forward without any hesitation and pressed it firmly on the paper. She seemed so sure of what she was doing. When we are younger we have less inhibitions, we know little fear and hence don't dread failure. As we grow up the wall begins to build. We start drawing boundaries and limiting ourselves to what we think is our capa

Sometimes when I look at the fishes in my aquarium I can't help but wonder- what is it like to be a fish, to spend your whole life in water, to live, eat, reproduce and die in that small tank. I mean these guys just swim, swim and swim the whole time. Is there a purpose to their life? Is there life beyond the water? Tough questions, evasive answers. Think about us. Do we know what our purpose in life is? How many of us have the courage and conviction to explore the world outside, the one beyond "our waters"? So afterall I am like those fishes I see in the aquarium in front of my eyes. I can continue to remain one or I can choose to be a shark and break free, to test the waters and face the unknown. The comforts of a known life are much but the temptations of the unknown need to be addressed as well. While I gather the courage to attempt this, I continue to remain within the walls of the aquarium- the one made of glass, the one I have built for myself, I continue to rema