The time is now

These are unprecedented times. Almost everyone has a story to tell about a friend or relative who has been claimed by this pandemic.

Which makes it so very important to not put off until tomorrow what you can do today. The time is truly now for anything on your to-do list. My late father used to remind the family of what his father taught him – that every day is a good day and that it was God-given. Whether it is quality time that needs to be carved out for loved ones despite the routine demands of the day or the daily sanity fix--communing with God, nature, the universe, the dream project that needs to be started and completed,do it now.

Time not only flies, it is among the three things that do not return besides a spoken word and a lost opportunity.

So, take that crucial, elusive first step. True we all came in with a prescribed time span but have you noticed how now all of a sudden there is a sense of urgency.?

Leaving aside the pandemic and ridding ourselves of any paranoia, if we begin to work with a today is the best day or rather today may be all that we have approach, we will certainly accomplish more.

About three weeks ago an elderly friend got interested in the Srimad Bhagavatam thanks to one of the stories I had narrated from this sacred book. I wanted to gift a copy to him and quickly organised a purchase. A few days after receiving the book, the friend called to say that he had crossed nine pages and was planning on doing nine a day and would come back once he had done so. The day after that call, his cold got worse and after a week-long battle with Covid in hospital he passed on. I later realised that the purana which opens with King Parikshit wanting to know what he should read and chant in the seven days before the curse that was to kill him took effect, was in fact narrated the Bhagavatam.

My consolation was that my gift was sent in the nick of time though I had neither the context in mind nor imagined that things would pan out the way they did.