Want to make the most of this precious life? You should probably do this

If you ask any Mumbaikar about an ideal life according to them, they would probably start off with an open and comfortable home, where they can live at ease with their family. Unlike what is the general perception, they would be happy with a moderate pay, albeit it meets all their daily requirements and financial commitments. Their job would be around 9 hours, with the office located a 15-minute drive away. When they come home, they would probably relax with a hot cup of coffee and a favourite book; maybe they will even go for a walk with their respective better halves and children. At the end of their day, they will sit together and narrate their day's experiences to the ones closest to them and go off to sleep, content with their lives and prepped for a similar day coming up.

That's the rosiest picture for most people who live in this mega city. And let me tell you, most would happily exchange their current routines for this sort of life. Because people living here have the EXACT OPPOSITE of everything that they aspire for. Homes are cramped; travel is more than 3 hours a day for most; money is never enough; office hours are never-ending; and most of all, there is NO time! Not for a family dinner, not for a book and certainly not for a leisurely stroll in a park. 

I may be wrong about this. But I am increasingly coming across people who are so busy in becoming financially secure and provide for their loved ones that the very life that they are trying to create passes them by. They are unable to spend time with the family that they are slogging away for. They barely have the energy to spend the money they are accumulating. And they are so involved in their daily struggle that the importance of relationships, love, joy, leisure is completely diminished.

And I am afraid that I will become one of them too. Afraid that one fine day, I will wake up and realise that I am well past the prime of my life, alienated or out of touch with my most beloved friends and family members due to the lack of time and attention. And without them, what is life anyway? With this fear, has also come a fierce determination. I will NOT let life pass me by, thinking that I will have time to enjoy with my husband later, that I will spend my money when I have enough, and that I will visit that place I have always wanted to see next year. I will grab every opportunity of doing what I want, how I want, with whom I want. Since the beginning of this year, somehow this realisation has dawned on me.

If you too are stuck in a similar situation, no matter in what part of the world, remember that the change in the situation needs to come from YOU! One small step at a time will do. But ensure that you make the most of NOW! Spend time with loved ones. Show them how much they mean to you. Create special memories with them. Spend your money as you like it (it truly gives you sense of freedom and more satisfaction than at the thought of having saved for your later years) And most of all, make the most of this precious life. You never know... The future that you spend so much time planning for, may be RIGHT NOW!

This is a resolution you really need to make

The new year brought with it the promise of a brighter future ahead for me. However, the end of last year and the beginning of this one also brought home the realisation that some treasured people in my life are not going to be there with me in the coming years. At least physically, that is. The death of two very near and dear ones in that period also reminded me of my beloved Anna, who I always remember on a Sunday, thinking of how she would have said my name in that typical bright, loving way she used to. Losing loved ones and the thought of missing them in the future has brought about a profound 'aha' moment for me in the past few month... About what is really important in life. About what I would remember when I would be closing my eyes for the last time. It's not money; it's not home; it's not a perfect figure or flawless skin, nor is it that promotion that is long overdue. It's none of the things that we constantly seem to be striving for in life but never achieving. It is ONLY the love of your most beloved people. These may not only consist of family (God knows that the meaning of the word has changed completely from what it was originally supposed to mean) The people who love you unconditionally, respect you, would do anything for you and for whom you would do the same - those are the people you need to treasure. That is the wealth we all need to be working towards in our life. And that, in my 'aha' moment, is what I realised I wish for on my death bed.

Having closely witnessed death in its totality and observing the sheer desolation it leaves the family in, I KNOW that when I go, I want to be surrounded by the people I truely love, and who in turn, adore me. They may not be hundreds of mourners at my funeral; I will be content with three or four people who will genuinely be disconsolate at losing me. These will be the people who will remember the good times we had and the memories we made in the time we spent together. Just like I do with Anna. And just like I know the two recently departed souls are experiencing from up there.

I know thinking about the end of life is not an ideal way to begin the year. But this is not in the sad, depressed or macabre association that is always made with death. This my friend, is a realisation that will make me treasure, love and be happy with the things and people who really matter in my life. It will make me let go of the small things that bother and stress me out. It will, ultimately, result in a better me, trying to live my life in the most meaningful way... That way, when this human life ends, I will not regret squandering this precious time of mine on useless issues or people. Maybe this can double as my new year resolution.

So to all of you that this blog reaches out to, I say this: show your most valuable people how much they mean to you... If you are hesitating in telling someone how much you love them, throw caution to the wind; in the end, you may regret NOT expressing yourself rather that the other way around. But beyond everything, spend your precious moments in this world with the people who matter - those whom you genuinely love and care for - and whatever activity it is that makes you the happiest. That is the only way you will make the most of this great gift of human life you have been endowed with.