A Date with Life.

“Dearest Life,

Can you meet me today?

If so, inform me of the time and place, so I’ll know it’s you when you come. Pardon me, but in your many facades, I don’t know the real you. You are a mystery yet, for I’ve not yet understood you completely.

Can you please show up and embrace me just once so that in the embrace, I can feel the actual you? Please, come just this once, for your real taste is what I await, the taste which will linger on till I fade.”

Life promptly replied, “Friend, I cannot come where you are, for you live in a land farther.”

“What do you mean?” I asked exasperatedly.

“There you are; this is what I mean,” it answered.

“Coming on planet Earth, you do not understand its ways”, it chided softly.

“Look who is talking,” I said, my respect for it waning away. 

It chuckled and said, “I’m sorry you don’t understand me; I’d rather end this conversation, for I’m dating Somnath”.

I scoffed. “Oh, that Somnath, who is always calm and joyous, and I always wonder how.  The other day, his wife had a bad fall, and I was sure he would have lost his cool, but not Somnath. She lay unconscious in a pool of blood, but instead of pressing the panic button, he pushed the stand-at-ease one and, undeterred, called his family doctor, calmly explaining to him what had happened. Then, as the doctor instructed, he gave her first aid, with the help of the passers-by, and then called for the ambulance to take her to the nearest hospital.  She had lost much blood and had an injury in the brain, but undeterred, Somnath did what had to be done.”

“His wife’s brain was saved from damage, as he acted diligently, very matter of fact and did not panic. I now know why, for you were with him all along,” I said after completing my story.

Life grinned and said, “Don’t make me sound sheepish because I’m not; he was the one who accepted my invitation to date for a lifetime.”

I growled, “Well, don’t waylay me now, for you know as I do that you never gave me an invitation. You are biased, so please go away and date Somnath.” Even as I said this, I looked like an icon of jealousy brewing all over.

It laughed, “Well, Deeps, firstly, do you know me? How can I date someone who has no idea of who I am?

I am Life –  

L – Look as is,

I – insight flashes,

F E – fear expels.

“Wow, nice try, but go ahead, give me one instance when you asked me for a date, and I refused to acknowledge you,” I said, confident that he would find none.

It smiled, “I have come often, and there have been many incidents in your life where you didn’t acknowledge me, but let me tell you of this distinct one, especially when you consciously invited me over like you did today. This one incident in your life changed your whole equation of knowing me. You forgot I exist, which was painful for both of us. But I’ve taken it in my stride, for that is me.”

So, saying it took me back to the day I had pleaded with it to come to me as I did now again. I had pleaded like I did today, and he had promptly replied thus:

“Dear friend,

I have come to you often, knocking and pleading to let me in. You never relented and shooed me away in the false presumption of another me.

However, not one to hold it against you, I’ll come again, just now. If you are open to meeting me, just be where you are, and I’ll be there.”

I remembered that I was overjoyed, for this seemed too good to be true, and even as I sat on my desk awaiting it, I heard a sharp knock at the door. Eagerly, I got up to welcome it, as I was sure life had come.

But I was in for a shock, for the postman had come in with a registered AD. I checked the address and found that it was addressed to me.

As I opened it, I was devastated, as my cousins had dragged me into court, falsely claiming my property as theirs. I didn’t pause, so I didn’t see it right there, next to the post and the postman. Life stopped and retreated, leaving me in the dark, where ten precious years of my life were spent defending my rights on their claim to the property.

Then life spoke, “As you sat weary and tired, it was only tonight that you remembered me again. Instead of acknowledging that you didn’t recognise me earlier, you attack me now by saying I never kept my promise, and now, even as you say it, you think you’ve bounced the ball back in your court. But all I can say is that you are biased, and if you do not see me as is, you’ll never know me. I’m here in all forms, every minute of each day, but you can’t see, for I am a stranger to you.

But date me, dear friend; you’ll know me, and as you do so, you’ll learn to accept me as I come in every day, the Joy behind Sorrow and the Sorrow behind Joy. Aren’t these our partners every day? So what is the BIG DEAL, buddy?”

I became still and looked at it in the eye, and suddenly, there was stillness all around. I embraced it with open arms, and in that moment of embrace, I said,

“I won’t let go of you ever, buddy; it sure is a date for a lifetime.”