DON'T WORRY... BE HAPPY

 




“The only courage that matters is the kind

that gets you from one moment to the next.”

Mignon McLaughlin

 

This morning, two of my well-wishers had come to see me. They love my writings, and they keep encouraging me to keep on writing. Both these women had lost their husbands to cancer, some years ago. Now, that’s behind them… Their children are working and busy with their lives. “Grief is behind me… I have dealt with it completely,” said one of them during the course of our discussion, “I am only worried about the future.”

“Whose future? Your children’s?” I gently prodded.

“Her own,” clarified the other woman, who knew her friend well.

A good advice (to offer) comes to us instinctively in situations like this… “Don’t worry about your future; everything will be alright”… It’s a readymade advice, I am sure. “All of us have anxieties about our future; but, worrying over them is a sheer waste of time”… Again, it sounds familiar.

The three of us there had anxieties about our own future…  We all had our own share of worry to deal with. Despite that, each of us could empathize with the other person, and we were in a position to offer some sound advice to each other: “My friend, future comes one day at a time… Trust, you will cross the bridge when it comes.”

Worry robs us from enjoying the present moment. It cripples us from action… “What if?”… Yes, “What if that happens, and this happens?” When our friends are weighed down by this question, we have the most rational response: “Who knows about tomorrow?”… “Que Sera… Sera”… What will be, will be.

I have been a huge fan of Celine Dion… Such a charming singer, such a powerhouse of talent! But, like millions of her other fans, I, too, was shattered to see her body decaying… “Something is seriously wrong with this fabulous Diva,” we muttered in our minds… But, we did not know what was wrong with her, what disease she suffered from…





And, just yesterday, I came to know about the rare disease she has been suffering from… It’s known as ‘Stiff Person Syndrome.’ Imagine, Celine Dion on an electrifying stage sensing, suddenly, that she is losing her voice! Hello, Celine Dion on stage without her voice! Should she worry about her future?

The worry doesn’t spare any of us – me, my two well-wishers or Celine Dion. But, then, Life teaches us to spare our worries… for today at least…  and live and celebrate Life again and again… over and over again…







To live one day, over and over and over again…

We will sing again, live again… celebrate Life again…

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic’s:1, eurovisionary.com 2. linefame.com

Videos: 1. Prime Videos 2. AGT

 


Comments

Shyla said…
The article was therapeutic.
June 22, 2024 at 9:59 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MUTHU KODI KAWARI HADA

Image
Pic.; Ashwin Mohta M y Hindi was always bad. It still is. One reason for this was, that they introduced Hindi for us only in 6 th standard. Or, was it in 8 th ? I don’t remember… I only remember struggling to write and read… leave alone speak! But, I loved Hindi movies, and, strangely, I could understand the dialogues and the lyrics of the songs… I used to sing those songs (of course when no one was around me!) as if I was the lyricist… One of the songs was a very funny one. ‘Muthu Kodi Kawari Hada’. It was from Mehmood’s super-hit comedy – ‘Do Phool’. I was a 15-year-old high-school boy when I had heard that song (not watched the movie). I could grasp the meaning of two words – ‘Muthu Kodi’… which meant ‘Give kiss’… But, what ‘Kawari Hada’ meant, I have no clue till date! It was just like ‘Why this kolaveri di’... Yes, why ask? Simply enjoy the beats… And, the beats are great… The rest... Who cares? Really! So, whatever bit of Hi
Read more

"HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS NOT A FAIRY-TALE... IT IS A CHOICE"

Image
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone… It has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” – Ursula K. Le Guin,  The Lathe of Heaven T welve years ago, when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got married, the world began to hail the couple as ‘Brangelina’. It became a fashion for couples around us to call themselves so… Norbert and Teresa renamed them as ‘Noresa’…  Amol and Vishaka baptized their relationship as ‘Amoshka’… and, Salman and Nargis became ‘Salgis’! I and my wife, too, got tempted to re-christian our matrimonial relationship as ‘Germa’... That is, Gerald and Anima, to be precise! B efore I proceed any further, let me make it very clear, here… that, I have no business to judge on the break-up of Brad Pitt and Angelina’ Jolie’s marriage. I have no inclination to go into why, how, what when etc behind it… The couple ‘chose’ to split. And, it’s their choice… Only they know how good or bad… how joyful or painful that
Read more

SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

Image
“I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. I laugh when I hear that people go on pilgrimage to find God.” - Kabir T here is a universal human weakness – and it dates back to the days of fallen civilizations – and it is: to place people on pedestal and trying to be smothered by them, feel loved and protected in their company… worship them as mentors, heroes,  gurus, Mahagurus and Satgurus… Make these mortals larger-than-life cut-outs, worship them as flawless, pure and give one’s all… And, then, ‘take’ everything from them blindly as divine… Give everything to them blindly… Eventually, what happens is:  one more dangerous bondage… What was supposed to free you now becomes a new prison… It’s sad to see this happen! T his room, where I am writing this Post, has no image of any deity. I have no image of any Guru or Master around me… My question is: “Am I not able to feel close to Almighty God?  How does it matter
Read more
THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...