Serenity in the face of the storm

It's said that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. In that period there may be times when you tend to fall back into your old routine, but the need of the hour is a strong will power. As adults we pretty much know what's good for us and what isn't. But it's not often that we show the good sense of doing what's in our best interest. Getting out of the comfort zone takes some practice, but more often than not, it is worth the effort. Staying true to our bad habits is akin to drug/alcohol addiction. You know it will kill you some day, but that's not enough to deter you. It beats me why our senses take a beating.

Letting go of things gives tremendous peace. Letting go of frustrations, anger, despair, hopelessness and their ilk. We begin to think that if we loose control, everything will fall into pieces, but we don't realize that God has his own plans for us too, and though his plans are undecipherable to us and make no sense most of the times, more often than not they turn out to be in our best interests. And according to me it is not defeatist thinking to accept whatever comes our way with a smile. It's not being a doormat, but it's realizing that clinging on to the futile gives no joy. Some good is hidden even in the worst.

It takes effort to stay positive in the face of our daily challenges. But once staying positive becomes a habit, we learn how to sail through the most turbulent times serenely. We always want what we don't have and once we get that we set our sight on something else altogether and with this attitude happiness is always elusive. We are setting ourselves up for a life of misery. A search for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that does not exist. We have to make a disciplined effort to stay happy in the here and now rather than the there and then. Squeeze the maximum out of moment, not let time pass us by as we stand mute spectators.

Each of us may not be world renowned but each of us is built unique. We have what no one else has. We can be so much more than what we limit ourselves to be. In the words of Richard Carlson "we tend to postpone our happiness to a future time". He says our in-basket of things to do, stuff to achieve will never get empty. Even as we lie breathing our last, there will still be stuff we wish we had done, things we wish we had said and even after we die, the world will go on like it has forever. If this be the case then why not live the moment. The picture of a river flowing over the rough stones and impediments is symbolic of moving on, staying happy and serene and spreading joy wherever we go.