It has been long.
Long since I last wrote and long since I’ve pondered over the questions - What is simple? And what is easy? Are they synonymous?
I have been juggling with the words “simple” and “easy” for a while. And when I think about the humdrum of everyday life, I realize that everything simple may not be easy, and everything easy may not be as simple.
Let me begin with the sheer task of expressing your feelings to someone. You will know what I mean if you have ever experienced that in your life. Whether it be love or an apology, it’s as simple as saying the three magical words… “I love you” or “I am sorry.” But, it’s never easy to muster the courage to say them when you mean them the most.
The next one, I think would be letting yourself loose - allowing yourself to be in the moment…shedding prejudices, inhibitions, and all your baggage of experience and personality you carry. When I was in Jaipur the last time, I went for a yoga session with my Mom. They ended the session by laughing out loud for no reason with their hands high in the air. I was amazed to see how all the ladies, irrespective of their everyday struggles were able to laugh their hearts out. Even though my mind and body were relaxed however much I tried, I was unable to do what they did. It was such a simple thing - I just had to let loose and laugh. But it was not easy.
What about accepting setbacks in life? Has there been a time in your life when you gave your all to something only to see it not materialize in the end? If yes, that’s the kind of setback I am talking about. I have been training for a race which is only a couple of weeks away now. I dedicated many mornings and struggled to balance sleep, diet, and work commitments for that one race I was so much looking forward to. After all that, I may not be able to run it. Accepting this is very simple. I just have to remind myself that this isn’t the last race of my life. It took me a day to reconcile to this simple fact. But it was not easy.
There’s one thing though that each one of us are bound to do which is simple as well as easy. This January I lost my math teacher, who took me in when I was a failure in that subject. He was taken to the hospital and next day he breathed his last. When I think about it the last journey, the last farewell was the simplest and easiest for him, and the hardest for the loved ones he left behind. I so much missed him on the eve of Guru Poornima. Farewells are easy on people leaving, but hard for those left behind.
They say life is simple. It reminds me of a quote by Paramahansa Yogananda: “Be as simple as you can be; you will be astonished to see how uncomplicated and happy your life can become.”
Even a wise man like him did not say be simple and life will become easy… Life is and will always be difficult. Over time I have realized if for myself that the sooner I accept this fact, the easier life becomes. What matters, in the end, is:
How deeply did you love?
How well did you let yourself loose?
How resilient you were to accept the setbacks?
And, how fully did you live??
I wish for myself not an easy, but definitely a simple life.
How beautifully you have expressed the dilemmas of our lives. Love you dear 😘
बहुत दिनों बाद एक अच्छा पोस्ट पढ़ने को मिला
बाकी मुझे लगता है (हो सकता है मैं गलत हू) कि जीवन की राहे तो आसान है, मोड़ तो सारे मन के है. 😊
और हाँ इंतज़ार रहता है आपकी पोस्ट का
कोशिश करो ये time gap कम रहे 🙂
God bless you 🙏