Valuing the fragility of life!

As you may be aware, the Covid-19 situation in India has exploded right now. This is the second wave, which has had far greater consequences than the first wave, last year. This time, it has hit closer to home for most of us. Almost everyone I know has suffered some trauma or grief. No one has been spared… the young, the old, the healthy, the unhealthy.

And honestly, we never believe anything bad can happen to us, right? It’s always someone else. Someone else’s problem. And we carry on doing the usual… maybe a bit carefully.

And then it happens to us! And we are running from pillar to post to get help. To make sense of this insanity. It is then that it hits you, no matter how rich, poor, connected, hard-working, notorious… nothing matters. The helplessness of the situation is overwhelming, to say the least.

Life is precious and fragile

A friend of mine lost his childhood best friend to Covid. He was 43years old, taking care of his brother and mother, who were hospitalised. Both recovered, but he succumbed. Unfortunately, there are so many more tragedies that we have come across recently.

It makes you realise, life is life till it is not. It is uncomfortable to come to terms with that – the fragility of life. But, I strongly believe, that every experience has learnings. And considering how traumatic and intense this situation is, there is so much to take home.  

It’s a powerful reminder for us to make the most of our lives, in the best possible way.

Embrace the time we have: We honestly never know how much time we have with us. My mom died without a will. Was it that she never expected to die? Of course not, that was a reality she always lived with, considering she battled renal failure. But we never think we will die today or tomorrow.

My point is, don’t take for granted the time you have now or the people we have in it. Make time for the incredible adventures or experiences you want to have. Spend quality time with family or friends that matter most. Don’t eye-roll the next time your mom calls you to check on you for the zillionth time; make time for a friend instead of always being busy; take your kid to the park as promised.

Apologies for being so sentimental and maybe seem a bit naive, but this period is making me realise the uncertainty of life again; and I must put it out there.

So, make the most of your time on earth! Do the things you wanted to.. however inconsequential.

Feel grateful for the things in your life: It is also a time to be thankful for everything you have in your life. Sending a prayer to the universe that you know how incredibly lucky you are for whatever is bestowed to you. We all have problems, but there is always something to be happy about. Even though I have been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, I still am in a position where I have strong family support, best medical facilities, good doctors, clean environment and more.

Not letting emotions get the better of you: You know, as humans, we love negativity. Or to wallow in negative emotions. Be it anger, sadness, resentment, jealousy. We might like to believe we are positive people, but we always, always carry the baggage of some of our darker emotions. The last time a friend backstabbed you, or your parent did something hurtful, or a colleague got a promotion before you, or a spouse decided to be emotionally unavailable.

But the choice is ours, how much baggage we want to carry and how much we prefer to let go. In Pranik Healing there is a forgiveness prayer that is offered (seeking forgiveness as well as forgiving someone). It is an important part of healing as per this practice, since it tries to release you from the karmic debt cycle of this baggage.

So hold on.. things will get better

Nelson Mandela once said “Hope is a powerful tool”, as he spent 27years in prison. He strongly held onto hope even when things looked most hopeless. When his mother died, and he was unable to go to the funeral. When his son was killed in a car accident, and he was not allowed to leave the prison.

And while we are not in prison, we do feel that life has been unkind. But it is hope that will help us respond to the current turbulence constructively and also transform our relationship with life on the other side.