ARE YOU RETIRED OR SOMETHING?

 



“You don’t stop laughing when you grow old;

you grow old when you stop laughing.”

George Bernard Shaw

 

Whether we like it or not, and whether we want it or not, we age… the body and the mind begin to lose their vitality, their responses. To some, the deterioration comes faster, and to some, a little later… but, it does come, Sir.

None of us will stay eternally young, dashing, agile, alert, attractive - and making headlines. Even if we want to, we won’t be able to…

Hema Malini was, once, a dream girl, right? She fell for a very, very handsome married man, Dharmendra… Today, Hema Malini is relatively active via politics (Even though, some of us wonder what has been her contribution in that sphere!). Dharmendra, apparently, spends most of his time in his farms… But, every time I watch this Sholaywala Veeru and compare him with his ‘dost’ – Jai, aka, Amitabh Bachchan, I wonder, why Jai is still there in that space, and Veeru, sadly, isn’t!







Like most around me, I, too, sometimes, ‘wish’ to stay young and active… yes, for a long, long time, if not forever. But, then, I know of the old saying:

“If wishes were horses, even beggars would ride them.”


Anyway, I am doing my best to stay relevant and be able to do what I love, and what I am good at doing – teaching, training, writing etc. I don’t know, how long I will be able to do it… But, I want to ‘ride those horses’!

There is this poster that I regularly display in my classroom:

“No matter how you feel every morning,

you better get up, dress up and show up.”


And, in the heart of my hearts, I know the truth: This is to remind myself, more than to my students!



Last evening, while I was in my new dentist’s chair, he asked me, quite sincerely, “Sir, are you retired or something?”

This Doctor had seen my file and noted that I would be 67, coming July…

Thank God, I did not have to work in any organization and get retired – ceremoniously – at 60 or 58. I am my own boss here; and, so, I can keep working as long as I want to…

Or, is it – ‘as long as the Providence wants me to’?

Gracious Lord, keep me going as long as I can… doing what I love and what you have blessed me with. Yes, I know, I may have to do it a lot slowly, without having to worry about who goes past me, who lags behind me… All that I pray to Thee, O Lord, through Cardinal Newman’s words (in his Poem – ‘Lead Kindly Light'):

“Lead Thou me on…

Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see

the distant scene; one step enough for me.”

 

Hello Doctor, not yet… So far, so good!

 

GERALD D’CUNHA


Pic’s: 1. www.freepic.com  2. www.youtube.com

Videos: NH Studioz

 

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