Carpe Diem: Living in the here and now

                                         


Life may seem pretty stressful at time, especially when you are a coming of age adult squished between relationships, goals, mental health, physical health, grades, interests, homework, the dog that chases you every time you get off a bus at the same spot, the expensive jeans you got stained, the things you did yesterday, the day before yesterday, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow and so continues the list but never ends. However the things we ignore, things that had made us happy for just a moment- like that one time the dog did not chase you, the time when you had the perfect grades, when you successfully played the tune on your guitar which you had been practicing for a week, the little kid who smiled at you when you helped him with the balloon that got stuck on the wind shield of a car- are the situations that go discreetly unnoticed as though it was in some way shameful of its existence. 

Present, the current moment, is like that underrated character in a book that plays a huge role in the overall plot but still doesn’t leave a mark, whereas past and the future is that annoyingly petulant and clingy couple that don’t deserve all the hype that is being showered on them but yet are crucial for the story to advance. All the good we do today is for the future and all the problems we face today are because of our past; what about the moment that just slipped away while you were busy contemplating things that you don’t even know exists? 

Living in the present is easier said than done. Sometimes we are so engrossed in everything that we forget the actual origin of our happiness. We realise things too late. We realise that we should have smiled and enjoyed the moment instead of frowning, a little too late. Too late, that the moment has now magically turned itself into the past that is practically impossible to bring back. We wait for gigantic amount of happiness to come knock our doors but at the same time throw away the little packets of contentment that had made its way through a tiny hole every single day. Being in the moment is like embracing these little packets, acknowledging its untiring effort in making out life easier than what our minds tricked us to believe. Living in the moment is accepting ourselves, being aware of what is around us and admitting to the fact that “Maybe I’m not where I want to be today, but I’m somewhere, and I am glad that the somewhere is here of all places.” 

Yes life gets difficult; yes future is important; yes the past still haunts us but yet there are things, situations and moments that can be enjoyed and felt ecstatic about. We do not realise or believe these moments because we are far too busy chasing. Chasing goals; chasing life; chasing everything. If only we all gave ourselves the luxury to stay still and live in that instant- feel the cold breeze on our skin, think about nothing but who we are today- will the door open and the room be filled with a never before experienced euphoria. 

 -MANASA  ANTHIKAD

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