JOIN USIn the hectic rat race and the fast pace of life, plenty of old pleasures fall by the wayside. Rekindling life in our living will go a long way in keeping us happy. For a happy life is every human being’s birth right, reminds Rachna Chhabria
Life is a river that flows irrespective of the terrain it encounters. It is said that life is what happens to us when we are busy planning everything else. We may not be able to change our lives all the time. But we can change our attitude towards life. We can change the colour of the lenses through which we view. We can learn life’s lessons in our everyday moments.
Learn a new skill
It’s never too late to learn something new. After all age is just a number. It is mind over matter; if you don’t mind it doesn’t matter. Learning a new skill at any age is a wonderful way to reconnect with our lives. All the emotions we jettisoned at the airport of desertion come rushing back when we undertake a new skill. Child-like enthusiasm, innocence, happy anxiety, and merry butterflies in the stomach make us revert back to our childhood and also make one view life through a child’s view finder.
Spend time with nature
Another way to reconnect with life and bring back the joy is by spending time in nature. Visit a park. Or just sit in the garden listening to the choir of birds. Or simply watch birds build their nests from the confines of your window. You are sure to feel invigorated by these. Walk barefoot over the grass. Soak in the lush greenery and the bright colours of the flowers in bloom. Let nature work its magic on your body, mind, and soul.
Rediscover old pleasures
In the hectic rat race and the fast pace of life, plenty of old pleasures fall by the wayside. New, more stylish pleasures are picked up. Pleasures which enhance our image in society. Get back your groove by rediscovering old pleasures which once defined you. Hot roasted bhutta on a cold winter evening, the taste of which your tongue has forgotten. Biting chunks of gaudy pink cotton candy which colours the lips and tongue a pink hue.
Desperately licking the fast melting ice-cream from the sides of one’s cone and then licking it off the fingers without a care in the world. Shed away the “what-will-the-world-think-of-me-behaviour”.
Spend time with children
Children are a blessing and any amount of time spent with them enriches us. Their innocence, faith, and enthusiasm are unbelievable. Volunteer to baby-sit your cousin’s little girl. Or help your neighbour’s child learn a difficult subject. Or just play board games with a child. These shall certainly fill your heart with joy. And the child-like qualities that you subtly imbibe from them will soften your own attitude.
Let go of past hurts
In the journey of life, all of us have been hurt by people close to us. These leave indelible marks on our hearts. Marks that fester into unhealing wounds, which we refuse to tend to. These make us watch the world through a lens of suspicion and wariness. Holding on to any kind of grudge harms us more than it harms the other person. Letting go off emotional negativity is a wonderful way to see life in its melange of colours. Burn the emotional negativity in the imaginary fire of destruction.
Reconnect with old friends
Touching base with childhood friends is a pleasure one cannot describe in words. These are the people who saw you transform from buck teethed, acne ridden teens, to the sartorial elegant selves that you have become today. Old friends are your lost roots that nourish your souls and replenish your thirsty hearts with the untainted moisture of their love. They expect nothing from you other than unconditional love and support. There are no hidden agendas or ulterior motives where they are concerned. Reconnecting with them is a wonderful way of getting the happy days back into your lives.
Indulge in a bit of generosity
Play Santa Claus to the sundry people in your life. Parents, siblings, close friends and relatives catch a glimpse of your generosity during anniversaries, birthdays, and festivals. Surprise them with a small token of your love: a favourite dessert, a surprise movie, or just bake a cake for them. Their happy smiles will bring a glow to your face. While playing Santa, don’t forget the maid, driver, gardener, ironing man/woman; they too deserve Santa’s surprise visit. Remember that it’s not the cost of the gift but the thought of the gesture.
Play Agony Aunt
Just listening to someone’s grievances about life in general makes them feel relieved after they have unburdened themselves to a willing listener. Words of encouragement and support go a long way in lighting the candle of hope in their dark lives. Playing Agony Aunt also has another benefit. It makes us realize that our own problems are really tiny when compared to another person’s problems. It makes us value the blessings we have received.
Stop blame-game
Drop the victim mentality. Accept the fact that you are solely responsible for all your mistakes and situations. Stop the bitterness that has crept into your life where people you hold responsible for your problems are concerned. This is one way of taking responsibility for your actions and also doing something to solve the situation.
Express gratitude
Most of us take things for granted. We forget the magic of a simple word like “thank you”. Our happiness is calculated with not what we have achieved but what we still have to achieve. Our prayers are like a grocery list that we send to the almighty. Objects that (s)he has to send us one after another. Expressing gratitude for the smallest of things invites more blessings.
Unclutter your life
Remove all the unwanted baggage, both physical and emotional, from your life. Useless objects, or broken objects need to be disposed of to the junkyard. Let go of negative emotions and feelings like worries, stress, fear, insecurities. Let go of the negative people from your lives, the ones who harm, belittle, or backbite you.
Engulf positivity
Surround yourself with all things positive: fresh flowers, indoor plants, books which raise your morale, movies which make you laugh and people who split your faces into smiles. Learn to look out for the silver lining behind each dark cloud. Every moment in life is filled with blessings. Seek out the hidden layer of blessings from the shroud of blackness surrounding events. Learn to live in the moment, enjoying each day as a unique and special blessing.
These simple acts go a long way in adding brightness and fluidity to your life. They colour your life with a palette of glorious emotions that is every human’s birth right.