Gerald D'Cunha

W hen I look back at 2018, the year that has just gone by, I have a good reason to smile… and, a very good reason why I should learn to live less anxiously about my future. I did not want some things to happen in my life; they did happen. I did not want some people to come in my life; they did come. On the other hand, I desperately wanted some things to happen; they did not happen… and, I anxiously waited for some people to come in my life; they did not come! So, what is the take away… the moral of the story? The less protective I become, the safer I feel… The less I worry about what may happen tomorrow and who will do what to me… yes, the more peaceful I will be. Worrying, doubting and trying to be protective – I mean the excessive amount of all these – are more of a habit. Mind tends to slip into this habit… keeping us always on the tenterhooks, the edge. It, certainly, is not a healthy way of living. Yes, when I look back at the year tha...

“Times will change for the better when you change.”  ―  Maxwell Maltz A friend of mine and his family had planned to visit Kerala on a short trip. They were to leave today evening. I asked him, “Is it safe to travel at this point of time? The images and the reports are scary.” “We are evaluating whether to go or not,” my friend replied. At the time I was communicating with my friends, a certain anxiety of mine was weighing me down. “What may happen?” is the constant question that weighs us down when we are anxious about our future. Despite all my positive thinking, I know, that my immunity level against anxiety is quite low… I become anxious, quickly… I get into depressing thoughts... I worry. But, fortunately, this cycle passes. And, once this entire cycle is over, I shed off my anxiety and march on… “Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future,” Kahlil Gibran says, “but from wanting to control it.” The friend ...