As time flies, look for change within
Pictures capture milestones in our lives and the most happy ones we freeze in frame.
Yet the smiles frozen on lips, the stiff poses, helpless laughter or an easy-breezy look, all give us a feeling of ‘Those were happy days’. Remember the words of Dorothy Wales, “He is always telling me, about the good old days. And how he’d not exchange his youth for all the modern ways.” Thinking about old days we begin to wonder if we can recreate magical memories even now. Moments frozen in the frame mock the present and cloud those in future, creating a momentary discomfort.
I believe we all fall prey to the niggling feeling that we are not growing any longer. The repetitive nature of events and experiences leads to disillusionment and discomfort. According to psychologist and professor of human behaviour Dam McAdams, all of us have a set narrative that we follow to predict, evaluate, and control our lives. The fleeting nature of time adds to our restlessness. Though “life can only be understood backwards it must be lived forwards,’’ so wait a moment before pushing the panic button of anxiety. Look beyond the framed moments, spare a thought for the gains you have made in these years in terms of inner growth. Has your vision broadened? Has your canvas got richer, and life more meaningful? Have you not mellowed in a constructive way? Don’t you feel more patient to human foibles and follies?
Once you begin this journey inwards, you realise that small changes have been taking place inside you all the time without you noticing it. You realise that the things you once yearned for, have little value in your life now. How aptly Alexander Pope said, “Our toys change as we grow.” As a child, it was a new dress, as an adolescent it was a cycle, in youth it was romance, and now it is listening to soulful songs against the backdrop of the setting sun. Now every day, life seems like a blessing. There are lots of perks attached to pursuing the academic field. You always stay close to vibrant and versatile young minds, and you have the power to mould them.
As you look inwards, you realise you have become slow to take umbrage and quicker to forgive. It is not giving up, it is growing up. I feel every minute we are learning and growing, but the small shifts go unnoticed. Though the cycle of battles, conquests, and failures continues, the battlegrounds have changed, our circumstances and outlook have changed. There may be no apparent signs of change or growth in our everyday life, yet we do learn to accept the will of God.
This is a journey of soul beyond life, a state of surrender to the divine.
The subtle changes, along with the rainbow experiences of life, might have bent and broken us but into better shape. Life is a boon. Enjoy it to the hilt and in the words of Lord Alfred Tennyson in Ulysses, “Drink life to the lees (to the very last drop)”.
HAS YOUR VISION BROADENED? HAS YOUR CANVAS GOT RICHER, AND LIFE MORE MEANINGFUL? HAVE YOU NOT MELLOWED IN A CONSTRUCTIVE WAY? DON’T YOU FEEL MORE PATIENT TO HUMAN FOIBLES AND FOLLIES?