Once upon a time… There will be a time…. for

The very title once upon a time, brings in memories of a lifetime.

Almost all of us have stories, to tell. Stories of our lives in the yester years, the excitement of visiting places where you resided in the past.

Nostalgia excites us. Remembering those cherished moments brings joy to our lives.

Ironic isn’t it?

The moments we enjoy today, will be cherished later, when we remember them.

Again a Paradox.

Was this meant to be.

Our senses, beckon us to enjoy this moment, through them, to experience life in all its glory, however our mind is just not interested. It is not in sync with the senses. It runs back and forth.

Recently I visited Bangalore, with my family, the city where I spent my prime years,

I was enthralled when I visited my home, and college, and even more enticing was the fact that I had a chance to have my family  see them too , my husband, children and grand child. I felt on the top of the world,  telling them about those exciting days .

This got me thinking, was I as excited then as I was now. Did the same things give me pleasure as remembering them now did?

Ironically no.

Then where are we today? Now or yesterday?

Yesterday governs our today. So bound by the chains of yesterday,  the experiences of yesterday, govern the way we look at today.

Can we break free, and give today an eye willing to observe, with the openness and emptiness of a child, who sees life as it is?

As I observe this here comes from within

Can you let them be?

Can you just set them free?

What may I ask?

The riddle is a mystery for you and me..

The tenses drive me mad…

They do not know their place…

The  present is always sandwiched by the past and the future,

Its presence never felt,

The past surges ahead, forgetting its gone,

The future retreats behind,

Like an impatient child,  stealing the moment,

Together the two , the past and the future,

Manipulate the present, ousting it of its own space.

However, the present is wiser today,

Being weathered by all seasons,

It  stands its rightful ground,

Ushering out the past, telling it you are gone.

The future it teaches, have patience, your time is yet to come,

The present occupies its  space in the minds of the wise,

Here is why they rise to the clarion calls,

Without a thought and without a flinch,

The next time, remember you are wiser now,

and there never is a once upon a time now.

Nor is there a Will it be, now.

Now is now, it is real, so dear friends live the real now.

The past and future are imaginary,

The past  is gone, and is never here, the future is not ours to see,

So why dear friend do we grope for them?

When we are here with our friend,

The present, can we give it our quality and care,

Nourish and understand it with all our heart,

A sip of coffee now, is what I’m enjoying, oblivious of the fact that I didn’t get it then, and  when I may not get it.

This moment is mine, and I live it best.

So say the wisest.

Let’s join their clan, and live the life as was meant.

So the next time you are doing something, maybe enjoying coffee, or reading a book, or working hard at office, remember to feel your presence at the moment, and whenever a thought comes, of some past incident,  or something you  imagine will happen tomorrow, good or bad doesn’t matter, statue it and remind yourself of what you are doing, and all that matters is the enjoyment of the moment.

This minute as I write this down, the door bell rings, and an office staff just entered for signatures. I am in the midst of an interesting line, and so I got up in a huff saying Oh no, not again these people always choose the wrong time to come.

I was governed by my experiences of the past. I realised it at once, and reminiscing my moods and how I used to brood over hours, I just said statue to myself, and  decided to  enjoy this now.

So I went to sign those papers and looked intently at all the places I had to sign.

It seemed never ending.  I used to in the past because of my state of mind, miss out many places I had to sign on.

Now I consciously told myself, I am here and now, and the challenge is that I do not miss out on any sign.

Lo and behold, I paid attention and enjoyed the challenge, which kept me where I had to be , in the task of signing. I must admit I even enjoyed it.

Its only when you see the job as a job, and do not attach your likes and dislikes to it, based on past memories of experience.

Look at every job that has to be done, with an element of fun, as well said in the poem, “Just a spoon full of sugar, helps the medicine go down”.