So here we are in 2018 with another year gone way too soon.
But why am I lamenting?
Almost nothing went to plan in 2017, I was stalled, stumped and almost stopped. I spent long periods of time doing nothing, didn't make many new friends (frankly lost a few close ones), didn't add the precious zeroes to the bank balance, didn't take pics which generated many likes and didn't even write a blog post which generated enough buzz. So why am I thinking about a year which I probably couldn't wait to end? Why am I even writing a blog about it?
The answer is very simple, the year 2017 gave me time. It gave me loads of time as I transitioned between jobs. True, the break wasn't expected but the down time was exactly what I needed after more than five years of non-stop work. If it was up to me I would have put off taking a vacation for at least another year but time intervened to give me a break when I needed it the most. If I would have taken a vacation, I would have filled it with 'To Do Lists' making the holiday more hectic than a normal work day but since this was a vacation which time arranged there was no agenda.
This break I had was unique. I didn't know what I would do on a day until the day began. I had the entire day to myself, I could either choose to laze around or do only those things which I wanted to do. A chunk of our life goes away either reminiscing about the past or just planning for the future, my break allowed me to stay in the moment because beyond the moment I had nothing coming. For the first time in a long time I was living each day instead of just coasting through it waiting for the weekend to arrive.
Yes coasting, the act of trying to get things done without applying ourselves. Coasting through work is bad enough but then we coast through life too trying desperately to get to the next milestone. Most people measure life either by the weight of their memories or by the magnitude of their goals but sadly neither measure completely defines the quality of life. Life is what is happening now and it can't be measured by either the weight of the past or by the magnitude of the future. What use is that glorious past which doesn't allow you to smile today and what use is that successful future which was built on sacrificing all the joy you could have had in the present?
The last year with the unintended break allowed me to stop coasting and start living. It allowed me to take in each moment without having to compare it with the past or having to milk it for the future. I also found that present in itself is seldom bad unless it is contaminated by regrets of the past or doubts about the future. I must admit here that I had a few insecurities of my own during the course of changing jobs but those insecurities didn't rankle me every moment because I at that point had been through far tougher things. I also had way too much sense to allow the past or the future to contaminate my present and spoil my peace. I found tremendous joy just going out for a walk, having a decent meal or being able to take a quiet nap. I enjoyed my peace so much so that I even put my blogging on hold. Who wants to blog about life when you can go out there and experience life?
I won't call 2017 an unmitigated success but every once in a while you got to take a step back before you lunge forward and when you enjoy the step back any step forward will only give you double the joy. I thank 2017 for that lesson, I needed it.
So there you go my friends, let my blog not dissuade you from planning or reminiscing just don't overdo it. A new year is upon us. Here's to living and not just coasting!
Until Next Time,
Yours Always,
J.J. Chaitanya
But why am I lamenting?
Almost nothing went to plan in 2017, I was stalled, stumped and almost stopped. I spent long periods of time doing nothing, didn't make many new friends (frankly lost a few close ones), didn't add the precious zeroes to the bank balance, didn't take pics which generated many likes and didn't even write a blog post which generated enough buzz. So why am I thinking about a year which I probably couldn't wait to end? Why am I even writing a blog about it?
 |
| A year where it took time to recognize the path |
The answer is very simple, the year 2017 gave me time. It gave me loads of time as I transitioned between jobs. True, the break wasn't expected but the down time was exactly what I needed after more than five years of non-stop work. If it was up to me I would have put off taking a vacation for at least another year but time intervened to give me a break when I needed it the most. If I would have taken a vacation, I would have filled it with 'To Do Lists' making the holiday more hectic than a normal work day but since this was a vacation which time arranged there was no agenda.
This break I had was unique. I didn't know what I would do on a day until the day began. I had the entire day to myself, I could either choose to laze around or do only those things which I wanted to do. A chunk of our life goes away either reminiscing about the past or just planning for the future, my break allowed me to stay in the moment because beyond the moment I had nothing coming. For the first time in a long time I was living each day instead of just coasting through it waiting for the weekend to arrive.
Yes coasting, the act of trying to get things done without applying ourselves. Coasting through work is bad enough but then we coast through life too trying desperately to get to the next milestone. Most people measure life either by the weight of their memories or by the magnitude of their goals but sadly neither measure completely defines the quality of life. Life is what is happening now and it can't be measured by either the weight of the past or by the magnitude of the future. What use is that glorious past which doesn't allow you to smile today and what use is that successful future which was built on sacrificing all the joy you could have had in the present?
The last year with the unintended break allowed me to stop coasting and start living. It allowed me to take in each moment without having to compare it with the past or having to milk it for the future. I also found that present in itself is seldom bad unless it is contaminated by regrets of the past or doubts about the future. I must admit here that I had a few insecurities of my own during the course of changing jobs but those insecurities didn't rankle me every moment because I at that point had been through far tougher things. I also had way too much sense to allow the past or the future to contaminate my present and spoil my peace. I found tremendous joy just going out for a walk, having a decent meal or being able to take a quiet nap. I enjoyed my peace so much so that I even put my blogging on hold. Who wants to blog about life when you can go out there and experience life?
I won't call 2017 an unmitigated success but every once in a while you got to take a step back before you lunge forward and when you enjoy the step back any step forward will only give you double the joy. I thank 2017 for that lesson, I needed it.
So there you go my friends, let my blog not dissuade you from planning or reminiscing just don't overdo it. A new year is upon us. Here's to living and not just coasting!
Until Next Time,
Yours Always,
J.J. Chaitanya
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