Rock Bottom...

Most of my friends who end up bearing with my ruminations know that I usually tend to write about what I experience around me. So before your heart skips a beat that I might be hitting rock bottom, my dear friends, I have to tell you that this one is not about me. I am way past that. So you can breathe...

This one is for a buddy with whom I have a salt and pepper affinity. Some days the pepper is too strong and stifling while the other days, the salt adds just the right essence.

Life assesses each one of us for faith, hope, perseverance, humility and the list goes on and on. Buddy is no exception to it and to me it seems that he may be taking one of the life tests these days. There are days when I sense that he may be spiraling down the tunnel. Some days his optimism shines through and other days, I only see grey thoughts clouding his face. And then there are times, when I see him searching for that one anchor that will help him sail through.

I wish I am completely wrong but for some reason I think he is tumbling towards his rock bottom and all I want to tell him is that  -

"Buddy!! You are a mountain goat just like me.

We don't give up even if we fall down.

No matter what happens, we always climb up.

No one can match our perseverance and that's what keeps us going.

The Goat always climbs up the rocky terrain and emerge as winner.

We don't depend on others to sail us through.

Only time is our companion and we always, always rise up."

So whether you have already hit rock bottom or are about to, just remember that from here on, it's only an upward climb. You just need to get a grip on what's happening around you and march forward. From now on, what happens to you is in your hands.

Just hang in there!!!

Get Well Soon...

Last week I got to know that a dear friend had suffered a heart attack and was recovering from it. Well, to say that I was shaken would be an understatement. He is young and younger at heart. So when I got to know about his health setback, it totally took me by surprise.

But as the news settled in and I assimilated it, I realized that he definitely had it coming. A chain smoker, my friend loved his drink. He barely slept, worked way too much and at the end of it, was also a fitness freak. He won't miss his daily jog for anything. 

But somewhere, all of this ended up straining him way more than any of us ever anticipated. Health hazards of such a lifestyle are always there at the back of our minds but the herd mentality says - "It won't happen to me!!"

So all you out there who live a similar life like my friend or worse (remove the fitness freak angle), all I request is to take a moment and think about what you are doing.

In the race of life, you are using the wrong methods to gain lead, manage stress, have fun. You need to remember that there are people waiting every day for you to return home safe and healthy. You need to remember that every time your health stats takes a dip, your dear ones die million deaths. You need to know that every time you say - "I am not feeling well", someone's heart in your family skips a beat. 

So pause for a moment, take a deep breath and decide - what is it going to be for you? And while you make that decision, do remember that slipping away into oblivion is the easiest thing that happens. It's what happens after you are gone is what is painful. 

So take your pick and decide today. No parent, no spouse, no child deserves to lose their beloved son/ daughter/ husband/ wife/ father/ mother to habits that could have been prevented/ stopped. 

Decide wisely...decide today...

Let's Just Stop It...

Let's just all come together to stop this scary trend that is slowly creeping over several households in the upper middle class and beyond. We are guilty of not spending enough time with our growing kids. Whose to be blamed? The current corporate culture, the race to earn more money, the crazy work timelines etc etc. 

How do we compensate for the lost time? We pamper them with luxuries way before they are ready for them, we are lenient in teaching about the right and/or wrong, we ignore the signs that scream out loud that something is very wrong,  we don't teach them the value of earning the goodies, we don't teach them the importance of core values that drive our being.

And then what happens? An innocent person like Siddharth Sharma pays for our misses. His untimely, sudden and painful death disturbs me and makes me extremely sad. He is the guy who got run over by an over speeding Mercedes few days back in Delhi.

I looked up the video of the hit and run. It shook me to the core. For several minutes I kept rewinding the video and couldn't stop staring at what happened to Siddharth. He did not deserve to die like this. In fact, nobody deserves to die the way he did. 

I want to question the parents of the twelfth grade boy who was behind the wheels when this accident happened. Why did you not do enough to get some sense inside that jackass' brains? Why did you let him become the beast he is today? Why did you not pay any heed to the signs that he was slipping away faster than they may have thought? 

WHY DID THEY NOT DO ENOUGH?

This question will continue to haunt me for days and slowly it will disappear as dust of time settles over it. But what about Siddharth's family? They lost a young son who was in prime of his health. This incident will haunt them forever. Every night his parents would wonder, why was it that their son had to pay for someone else' misdeeds? Alas!! This question would remain unanswered forever. 

Siddharth!! I never knew about your being, up until I saw that you were no more. I don't know if you have become a spirit and crossed over to the other world or you are still haunting the streets where the accident happened. 

I know you will slip from my memory in a few days. But before that happens, I will hope and pray everyday that you find peace, wherever you are.

May your soul rest in peace!!

Kick The Butt...

There is this huge ongoing campaign around encouraging people to kick the butt. At the end of the day, it all boils down to - Why you would want to do it?

Everyone who smokes is aware that there is no benefit except the satisfaction that the stick burns to give you some sort of peace and satisfaction without asking back a question.

And then came Nicorette...an alternative to active smoking. While it has got mixed response from the people across, you still see a lot of people trying it out with a genuine intent of walking away from smoking.

The bigger question is - What would drive a smoker to stop smoking besides actual health scare that may jolt his/ her overall being?

A lot of men in my life have been smokers at some point of time. Don't jump after reading the line preceding this one. When I say - "a lot of men", I mean brother, friends and office colleagues. Many of these have kicked the butt one fine day suddenly and without any trigger.

I asked each of them as to what made them stop. All they said was - "One fine day I got up and realized I had to stop". And they did. What was the trigger? Was it the news of becoming a proud father, a new year or birthday resolution. a health scare, someone else' health scare, or something else?

Whatever it was, they stopped smoking, thanks to the reason. The latest in this bandwagon is my dear brother. As of today, he has been off cigarettes for last 3 weeks. The best part is that with each passing day, his resolve to stay off it is becoming stronger. 

Kudos to you brother. Nothing makes me more proud and happy than this action of yours. I wish you keep up with your resolve. A quick shout out to all the dear men - 

"Kick the butt before it kicks you..."

 

What Does Your Silence Says...

The beauty of our species is that we are not just black or white in our thoughts, actions, outlook, attitudes etc and the list goes on. We are shades of grey. Thus, when it comes to silence, we are no different. 

For each of us, silence takes on a different meaning altogether. 

For some it is the quiet agreement to whatever lies in front of them... 

For some it is symbolic of defiance...

It could be a sign of contemplation...or may be even of confusion...

For some, it's a request to buy some more time...

And for others, it's symbolic - They don't have time...

Some mean to say - "I faltered and don't have the courage to admit...say something and help me"...

While for others - "You hurt me...so all you get is silence"...

At times, it's only silence that can quieten the drama of a guilt laden soul...

For some, it is a means to the end...

Some times, silence is the end...

Don't be surprised, if it signals the quiet before the storm...

Finally comes the severest of silence which would mean - "I've used you enough and now your time's up". When silence becomes the vanishing act, it also gets known as Ghosting in the dating world.

All in all, these are the ones that come to my mind. Am sure, there may be more to silence than I know currently. So if you happen to browse through this, do give it a thought - 

What does your silence says?