WHO DRIVES ME?

“What I do not like, I always postpone.

What I like... for it, I always find time."

A middle-aged man offered me a lift, this morning, in his car. His wife was sitting next to him, and they were on their way to attend the morning Satsang, somewhere in Dadar. It was supposed to be from 8.30 to 10 every morning. For the last three years, I see this couple leaving their home by 7.30, without missing a single day. The man would proceed to his office at Fort after the Satsang and the wife would return home.

“How do you manage it, sir?” I asked this man.

“I don’t have to manage,” the man said. “It is ‘He’,” he pointed to the sky. Then, he added, “You too have left home for your work at 7.30, this morning. You do it every day, and for years on. How do you manage to do it?”

For a while, I became silent. Yes, he was right. For the past so many years, I have been leaving home this early. “How do I manage to do it?” I asked myself. “What is my motivation?”

“All that we need to do is: keep our priorities clear,” the man told me. “‘He’ shows the way; He gives the strength.”

Frankly, it did sound a lot like ‘Satsang’ stuff. But, it wasn’t actually. He was talking sense… something simple and practical.

Last night, I did have the option of watching some late night movies - couple of them, back-to-back, as some do. I had the option of getting up at 9 or 10 or even 12 this morning. But, I did not do that. I chose to retire quite early and rise at 6 this morning. Was I not clear about my priority? I was.

So many ladies and men – young and old – get up so early and do their rounds of walking. Some go to their gyms, and some for Yoga sessions… Some watch religious programmes on TV, and some attend daily morning Mass in their churches. And, so many are in the kitchen doing their daily rounds; so many are busy showering all their attention on their children and husbands, and even on their old and sick parents. And, some, like birds of the sky, do leave for their work or school along with the Sun.

And, yes, some are glued to their beds, even when the blazing Sun stands right over their heads.

What I like in my life, I always value.

Or, is it the other way around?

What I value in my life, I always like.

Whatever way I see it, it looks right.

And, what I like and what I value –

For it, I always find time.

‘He’ lives in my heart. No ‘Satsang’ is needed to preach this plain Gospel to me. Therefore, ‘He’ knows what my heart likes, what my heart values. So, it is ‘He’ who drives me, my priorities. The man, who drove the car, this morning, was right.

But then, ‘He’ lives also in the hearts of those who are still glued to their beds, even at this hour of the day!

Who sets their priorities?

Who drives them?

Their life?

GERALD D'CUNHA