The Journey with fewer Extras

 

In my forties now, I realize that it’s not that important to go all the way. It just burns you out. It overheats you and you go panting like a sick mule on a treacherous slope. All that matters is that we take steps. There never was a final destination, nor will ever be. We just hold the baton for some time. Journey well dear readers!

The main cause of discontentment and unhappiness is that we are too hard on ourselves most of the time. We have almost ‘something’ of everything in us, but we are always looking to change that into ‘everything’ of everything. I should have that car, I should have that man or woman, I should have that designation, I should possess that much in my bank account, I should become a bigger star, my children should be world beaters, and scores of all and sundry matters that define our life keep us away from enjoying what we already possess. The proclivity of forever looking too far into the future gives many stumbles in the present and rewards us with many welts and bruises.

If you can’t have happiness and joy with what you already possess, believe me running after the mirage is a futile exercise. I am not saying one shouldn’t be competitive. Just compete with a belief and gratitude that you already have many things, that life won’t be a mess and tragedy if you don’t reach the intended target. Run after your goals but always remember that you already possess many things that allow you to even think of going further. Stay in gratitude.

Why be tortured to be a perfectionist when you have your friendly sweet-sour amateur self goading you on the path of life? A joyful amateurish clown may turn out to be perfectionist one day. It’s very much within the grasp of normal laws, nothing miraculous about it. Be a happy joy-rider, not a grumpy one. The latter only creates nuisances on the pathway for others as well.

Why think in terms of the best cook masters in luxurious homes and super-luxurious hotels and thus never give it a try yourself? Bake your bread. It may come near the funniest map of the weirdest country or region in the world. Does the tongue discriminate among shapes as it turns the best and the worst in the same saliva-saturated mass? Make it eatable to a degree first. Set your own parameters of improvement. Eat your funny bread with gratitude. Give half of it to the dirty stray puppy, mauled by the bigger bullies in the street, lying coiled up near your gate. I do the same. It makes up for the lack of taste born of my amateurish effort. Boil your soup, make your sandwich, fry your eggs, and prepare your vegetables as per the capacity of your hands and cooking aesthetics. Hold this slim chance in your hand. One day you will cook to the satisfaction of many people around you if not the entire continents. Isn’t that success?

Eat your food in moderation. Don’t hold your money too tight; let it be a nicely floating part of the bigger economic river. Don’t go crazy about your designation and authority. Don’t overeat any of these. It gives indigestion of both stomach and mind. I tried gulping down an entire litre of pure cow milk in a few sittings in a day and got to know that I need just half of it. An extra visit to the loo mutteringly reminding me the difference between ‘need’ and ‘greed’. So the kittens that have occupied the unkempt yard are the beneficiaries of this realization. Their mother doesn’t visit them anymore. Grown up as they are. They are learning the art of life in the courtyard before jumping onto the larger stage of life. Till then I can play a bit of part-time role in getting them still bigger. Looking at them cutely gulping down the milk, their moustaches having milky dews, the milk in my stomach gets an extra digestive juice to give me more benefit.

I am learning the art of giving away the extras of life. It stops the stomach from bloating up as well as keeps my pride and vanity within tolerable limits. If we disburden ourselves of the unnecessary extras, believe me we will have a far more joyful journey than we expect and will go several extra miles.