Reflections

“Happy Birthday to you” As everyone sang along to wish my friend on her birthday, little Cindy, a three year old girl couldn’t stop her excitement. She too joined in the cake cutting celebration. She sang with everyone, danced to the music, loved the attention and her joy knew no bounds. I have observed Cindy at a few more birthday parties. She is extremely excited about such events. She lives and loves the moment – in fact, when it was my birthday; I wanted her too to join the cake cutting. This little child inspires me and often makes me wonder - When was the last time we were happy like the little kid!

A few days ago, my mom called up and mentioned that dad had almost forgotten her birthday. While she was expecting flowers and gifts, he gave her a gift card – nothing personal about it. My mom complained about how boring her life had become and how she missed the initial days of her wedding when everything looked great. She wondered why her marriage had come to a standstill after so many years of wedding. I did not have answers to her questions. As I reflect, I think as humans we are so busy and occupied with our life that we have forgotten how to love life. I can see myself spending hours on Facebook chatting with people and writing on their wall, but I have no idea what my neighbors are up to. I can play games on my ipad for hours, but wouldn’t have time to run for a few minutes on that treadmill. I have smart phone but hardly have time to call my dear ones. We teach our kids to eat the right balanced diet but do not hesitate for a moment to open that soda bottle or order any unhealthy food. Instead of reflecting for a few hours to understand ourselves better, we party hard so that we can get along with the crowd. I often wonder if Cindy, the little kid too would grow up just like us. Will the craze for the materialistic world blindfold her and like a lot of us will she forget to live, to love and to see happiness in small moments?

Often, I ask myself - what would you do if I had a few hours to live? When was the last time we listened to our favorite music or had a heart to heart talk with our loved one! We choose to live our life in a certain way and then blame destiny for all the negative happenings. We all have responsibilities and have problems at some point in life. Perhaps, that has buried the child inside us. It is time to wake up that child within us. It is time for us to accept what we have and appreciate life and small things that make it beautiful. Imagine how would we feel if we lost our loved one today? Wouldn’t you want to share how you felt about them? If we change the way we look at others and thank them for all the good and bad they have done to us, we shall feel a sense of accomplishment and pride.

Perhaps my dad can take a few moments out and reinforce how much he loves my mom. It is never late to start a new life. It is never too late to give a hug to your loved one and thank them for all that they have done for us. We still can take care of our health and appreciate beauty in small things. It is never late to live, laugh and love! You are never too old to bring out the child inside you. It is never too late for all of us to become Cindy and celebrate every moment!