ONE SIMRAN-STEP AT A TIME

 




“The best thing about the future

is that it comes one day at a time.”

Abraham Lincoln

 

Elbert Hubbard, who wrote the inspiring essay ‘A Message to Garcia’, had said:  “I believe, that the best way to prepare for a Future Life is to be kind, live one day at a time, and do the work you can do best, doing it as well as you can.”

There is great depth in this simple-sounding statement. Let me dissect it, in this Post…

Are we all not concerned and busy with preparation for a Future Life? Every human activity – individual or collective –  invariably revolves around this goal – ‘Future Life’. Perhaps, we do not like to admit it openly, or wish to give a different spin to it. But, I firmly believe, that we all are concerned and busy preparing for a Future Life…

Based on this assumption – and reality – I wish to delve into the fragments of Elbert Hubbard’s statement. He says, “I believe, that the best way to prepare for a Future Life…

Is to be kind: Kind towards whom? It’s very important, that to hope for a better future, we need to cultivate a tender heart. Only a tender heart is able to give us strength to bear our present pain, without blaming anyone or feeling victimized. A heart filled with resentment, anger, blame and victimhood is unable to exude kindness, either towards self or towards others. Acceptance and forgiveness grow in this field of kindness. We call this field – ‘Compassion’. It gives us strength and wisdom to hope for a better future, by trusting the Kind Universe… Each benevolent heart carries a spark of this benevolent Universe!

Live one day at a time: No matter how frantically and desperately we try to approach our future, it always comes one day at a time! I can even go further and say, it comes one moment at a time! From this reality stems what Elbert Hubbard says further…

And do the work you can do best: Recognizing what we can do best is the crucial factor in doing away the anxiety about our future. There is something each one of us is blessed to do in life… We are able to do it best. The clearer it is to us, the clearer the future appears for us. On the other hand, when we are unclear about what we can do best in life, the future, always,  looks hazier!

Doing it as well as you can: Finally, awareness has to translate into concrete action. Just knowing what we are best at is only theory. We need to go about acting on it… Go about doing it as well as we can.


SIMRAN’S STORY




(Simran at the age of 10)

 

Simran is about 20 now. She lives in the same building where my classes are situated. Her dad, Manoj, is a good friend of mine and a very confident and a practical person I have known in my life.

Some twenty years ago, seven months into her pregnancy, Manoj’s wife developed some major complications and passed away. The premature baby Simran survived with huge physical and mental challenges. I have watched, as to how my friend has been taking up his challenges in life and approaching his future – his own and Simran’s – like a real fighter. He remarried, soon, a very understanding and kind woman, and they now have a 16-year-old beautiful daughter, Pari.. Meanwhile, Simran’s life had to be built brick-by-brick… To be precise –  baby step-by-baby step, one at a time… Forget one day at a time! Those of us, who have watched those difficult steps, difficult speech, difficult everything… yes, we know how we all can build our own future lives like Simran’s dad had been doing, by unknowingly applying Elbert Hubbard’s advice:

“I believe, that the best way to prepare for a Future Life is to be kind, live one day at a time, and do the work you can do best, doing it as well as you can.”



(Simran with her parents and sister)

 

I am fortunate to be able to teach this beautiful young soul, Simran, in her S.Y. BMS. Let me tell you this: Despite her huge challenges and online college-sessions, Simran is better prepared for a Future Life compared to all my perfectly-normal students… And, I mean it.  I find myself humbled, inspired and hopeful when I teach her. I am sure, if she has come this far, so brilliantly… she will go far, far more, even brilliantly. 

Undoubtedly, Simran has inherited this gung-ho spirit from her dad, my friend…





Yes Sir, the best thing about our Future is, that it comes one day at a time… One Simran step… One Simran breath!

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic’s: 1. pixabay 2 & 3 Simran's family

Video: The Voice UK

 

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