Life is fragile, so seize the day

Enid Parker on coming to grips with mortality and why the realisation shouldn’t stop you from living a full life

Just over two weeks ago, I, like many other egocentric human beings on this planet across races and cultures and age groups, considered myself somewhat invincible. Now, I don’t mean that I was labouring under the delusion that I had some hidden superpowers that hadn’t surfaced yet. But I was generally upbeat, each new day bringing with it a fresh sense of hope and joy, despite whatever issues may have sprung up in my life in the immediate and distant past.

Now I’m a person who is wary of consulting doctors unless my condition brings me to such a point that I absolutely have to – as one of my like-minded friends so aptly put it – “I only visit the hospital when I have to crawl in on my hands and knees.”

So, needless to say, the result of a recent diagnostic test ordered by a specialist I was visiting while on holiday gave me a jolt – the kind of rude, sharp shock that makes you sit up and take notice of things in a much more concentrated and vivid manner than you were doing earlier.

While no serious consequence came out of this diagnosis thankfully, the experience did make me introspect and think of all the things I’ve been taking for granted – one of them being my health. I looked back on the neglectful, haphazard manner in which my lifestyle has played out over the past few years – visualising everything - from being semi-addicted to sodas and energy drinks to having no proper timings or content for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I recalled how I used to take regular long distance walks for exercise, and now just barely make it to the metro and back for work. While my diet may have stabilised somewhat, my physical fitness level has plummeted.

I also reflected on life in general and how sometimes we tend to postpone things we really want to do or conversations we really want to have – when honestly, and this of course may seem like the most cliched line ever but is nevertheless true – we don’t know if we’ll see tomorrow.

I still haven’t lost my tendency to spring back from bad news – I still am upbeat every morning as I listen to my favourite tunes before heading out to work, but what’s changed is that I’ve become frighteningly aware of my own mortality; I know that whatever I have to do – whether it’s kick-starting a new fitness routine, opening up to a loved one, or even accomplishing something that has been on my bucket list for ages, the time to do it is now.

enid@khaleejtimes.com