Take time to know thyself...

We often crib about being Born Not-So-Rich or being Born Poor. We live our lives wondering, what great things we could have achieved, or how convenient life would have been if we were born a little more rich. 


I often wonder, when I am at my death-bed, and my life flashes before my eyes, will I lament about not being rich?
Certainly not, I would rather look back at life, and think whether it was a life well-lived! 
I would think of  the time  I spent on the planet, whether I utilized it well..


We sometimes forget to notice that though all people do not live under the same circumstances, everybody  equally gets one great asset - his/her 24 hrs a day... 


As I think about this, the lines of William Henry Davies echo in my ears :


What is this life if, full of care,We have no time to stand and stare. 
No time to stand beneath the boughsAnd stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,Streams full of stars, like skies at night. 
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth canEnrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,We have no time to stand and stare.

-- W.H. Davies 

I recollect the days, when as a little girl I used to have so much of leisurely time for everything... time to muse over my whims, to pursue my interests  and my hobbies, time to sit in the sun with friends and giggle about just anything .

But as I grew up, time became a scarcity. The quality leisure as I knew it, now looked like a wastage, for I had so much to do always... I was caught up in the whirlwind which, someday catches up with every adult. 


I had my aspirations, my dreams, my work, my daily chores... so much to do.. so far to go..!!


I was trying hard, as hard as I could. I was making 110% use of every waking second of my days. I seemed to be doing great, going miles and rising and shining.

But deep within, I still had the craving of sometimes sitting by the shore and whiling away the time reconnecting with my long lost self.


Yes, I was a time-respecting, disciplined, responsible and endeavoring individual. But in the making of this individual, I had somewhere left a carefree, wild and happy girl way behind. To the world, I looked like an accomplished person, but within myself I was differentiated into pieces.I lived a machine's life, one that has missions to accomplish, work to do and a projects to run.


Sometimes I wished, if only.. I could stretch my days a little.. say by an hour or two.. 
Then one fine day, I retrospected and realized that there were very less moments of my recent life that I would cherish as good memories. All the good memories I had were of times long ago. 


I decided this wasn't the life I was going to lead..


Being only Human,I could not stretch my days... but again couldn't I squeeze my never ending task-list to spare two hours? 
May be out-source a set of chores.. and achieve a little less... (that of-course meant to spend a little more and earn a little less, would that be too high a price  to re-gain my lost cheer?)


I cut down on my workaholism. I looked where I was spending time, and cut down my chores, which yielded nearly two hours a day for myself..


With the extra time I got, I would sit down with the old photographs and remember those worry-less innocent days, when the world was a beautiful place, and Mom and Dad could protect me from anything possible...
I would get on the phone with long time disconnected friends and giggle over just anything again!
I would take long walks at the shore, waiting for a shell to be left behind by the waters...

With all these I can find a little bits of my lost self, and integrate them back into me.
Yes, I am still a time-respecting, disciplined, responsible and endeavoring individual. But today I am regaining the heart and smile of the girl whom I had left behind somewhere along the way...

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