Life is a riddle. When we try and unfold its layers, we learn a little more. For most people, life does not unfold as a picture book story. As time moves, we see the colours fading. The innocence of childhood, the zeal of the sophomore, the spiritedness of youth; all of that fades into grey. And wisdom dawns, we tell a tale – one to others and another to ourselves. The funny bit is how much the informations in both versions differs. Do you get my point?
While looking forward in time, you try to invent places and people, lives and laughter, sorrow and strength. But mostly, things that will work out. In a flashback, you relive certain moments, replenish the good ones and wreck the others.
When we tell a tale about our own timeline, we often make adjustments to gloss the imperfections of the past. Often, as time passes, the truth is submerged in silence and our social disguise conceals the personal story. And then, often what we remember seems much different from what had happened in reality
But here is what I have learnt. We may imagine the future to be grand but when we look back, we realise that life is spun out of simple pleasures. Life is made beautiful, not by following the bandwagon, not by garnering great knowledge or by being the kid in the first row nodding with every statement of the teacher to get a better grade card. None of that. It is all about simple pleasures.
You will be astonished to find that the exact moments that made you grow into the person you are, were ordinary but not in retrospect. Perhaps they unfolded while you were standing on the highway on a winter evening, or taking a walk with your old school pal or while writing your journal or gardening or cooking. These moments come like shooting stars. To make us bolder, stronger.
Trying to reconnect the dots between then and now is a futile thing. Time will take its course to fix and amend and replace. Focus on the now because in the rush of moving ahead, we fail to love the smaller moments of life and they are the most delicious part of the journey.
Stop awhile.
Think while you still have time.
Wish for joy.
Crave for joy.
Aspire to joy.
Anticipate joy.
That is the recipe for simple pleasures. Because when we look back in time, these moments are like a fudge brownie slice layered with chocolate with honey and maple syrup. You do not want to finish it. You want to savour it.
Make your life worth savouring. Even in retrospect.
Srishti is a lawyer by profession and a blogger by choice. She writes at Law Schools Terrace.