Winter Solstice

The sun was still in the sky when I left from office today.

It was such a welcome sign. The winter solstice is behind us. The days are going to stay brighter for longer.

The ‘half-glass-empty’ person in me chimes right in-that means the years is over. The kid goes back to college in 10 days. We’ll all be soon a year older! Another year gone and what did I do? I still need to lose 10 kgs. I still need to write my book. I still need to complete the M.A I signed up for. I still need to complete the story I was supposed to finish last Sunday!

Why am I so worked about dates? The calendar is just something we made up to measure time. The sun and the moon don’t give a fig about the years and the months.

Why is it so important for us to track and measure and count? Maybe because for us time is limited. (I am strictly not thinking of office login and logout times or project deadlines here, although it’s hard not to-we live by them). This whole concept of living, not knowing the literal deadline is so unsettling. How do I know whether I am going too fast or too slow? If I try to all the things I want to, I miss out on the precious moments doing nothing, spending time arguing with my daughter, reading, watching Harry Potter for the 65^th time with her. And yet if I do that, how will I complete the blog post for today, get up in time to beat the traffic tomorrow morning, save up for their future?

Live for this moment or slog for the years ahead?
The present or the future?

What is the future anyway?

That hateful alarm at 6.40 am!
And yet, I am grateful to wake up to another day. 

That’s what this year has been. It has taught me not to take the future for granted. And to love the present.