BEING ABLE TO FEEL THAT LIGHTNESS



“Grace means undeserved kindness.

It is the gift of God to man the moment he sees

he is unworthy of God’s favour.”\

Twight L. Moody

 

One question, which many of my dear ones ask me while wishing me on my birthday, is this: “So, what is the plan for the day?”… Or, “How did you spend the day?” This means - “What’s special?”

Let me tell you this: Just as my dear ones ask me this question, I, too, ask the same question to them… Yes, "What’s special?”

It’s my 66th birthday on 24th of this month. Was it ‘special’ in any sense? Was there a ‘plan’?

If by ‘special’ or ‘plan’ means something cozy in a fine-dine restaurant, or a vacation at an exotic location – No, I did not have anything ‘special or ‘planned’… It was just like another day, which had begun and ended just like any other day…

But, yes, it had, most certainly, made me conscious of a couple of things about my life…

I was still able to walk, talk, see, hear, feel, laugh, cry – and, above all, work and feel productive, useful… and never to forget, feel loved, cared for… The list goes on…

I was able to feel the closeness of my family… I was able to feel that strength, that bond…

I was able to feel the friendship of so many of my well-wishers – near and far… I could feel, that they thought of me as a gentle, giving soul… and, what a feeling that’s! What a blessing!

I was, also, able to feel how small, how human I was… with all my vulnerabilities, insecurities, and reactiveness. I could see how far I had to walk to reach that land of restful mind and heart…





Frankly, on my ‘special day’, I was asking God, ‘specially’, to make me less reactive, more tolerant and accommodating… I was asking Him to teach me to say, more and more – ‘It’s okay’… ‘It’s okay’.

Every birthday is ‘special’, no doubt. But, if it doesn’t make me conscious of my unconquered human flaws – what’s ‘special’ about it?

So, even though I don’t answer in this way to all my dear ones when they ask me – “What’s special today?”, or “What’s the plan?”, I answer to myself… “What a blessing it is to be able to get up, dress up and show up even at 66… and to feel this gift of underserved kindness…

As the Poet says, there are miles to go… It’s the time to go down on my knees and thank, seek forgiveness and help…

That’s the ‘Plan’…

 



GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic’s.:Pixaby

Video: The Jungle Dairies

Comments

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

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 ...
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 pain...
Read more
THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...