Life is a Road Always Under Construction
never a point when all the highways are fixed
‘You’re starting to look more and more like your dad,’ my mom pointed out, gazing at me affectionately as if searching for traces of my dad within me.
I have inherited many of my dad’s traits, his looks being one of them. The crow’s feet, the laugh lines, and the frown lines are all gradually appearing.
Research shows that babies who resemble their fathers are healthier.
Legends have it that girls who look like their fathers are luckier.
I agree with both the statements. I have been fortunate in so many ways.
I had a very loving, protective, and supportive upbringing that laid a strong foundation for me. My dad made sure we had everything we needed. He was the sole provider, incredibly determined, persistent, and fiercely independent. Once he set his mind on something, he wouldn’t give up until he achieved it.
He was a constant learner and an avid reader, always making time for his books and writing amidst his busy schedule. Every morning, he used to spend a few hours in his study before heading for work. The image I cherish most is him sitting in his study, completely absorbed in his reading and writing. That’s the legacy he passed down to me — a trait I proudly carry forward. Today, my home library mirrors his. Wherever I go, I always carry a book with me that makes me feel close to him.
As a child I wanted to be like him. He had an incredibly contagious laughter. Once he began laughing about something, it was challenging to contain. Father was a strong-willed man, strong in body and strong in spirit. He kept himself in perfect health through controlled diet and exercise.
After his retirement, he wanted to explore the world. Together, we made ambitious plans. As a professor of history, he was deeply passionate about his subject and longed to witness firsthand the places and events he taught in his classes and every location of historical significance.
Sometimes, even with the best-laid plans, life takes its own course. He fell ill and passed away unexpectedly, leaving a part of me shattered. The day of his death felt like confronting mortality head-on. I was convinced it was the end of everything for me. Yet, here I am, still alive. You don’t die with the dead; you live with the loss. That’s the curse for the living, you learn to live with it.
Awakened By Grief
For months, there were moments when thoughts like ‘I’ll never get to hug him again’ or ‘I’ll never get to make him laugh again’ would flood my mind, opening the floodgates of emotion.
I recall the astonishment I felt when after many months I first smiled, when I first laughed, first experienced little happiness. I remember going for long walks almost everyday, letting my legs take me wherever they pleased. It was cathertic. Over time, my walks became more pleasurable. I was learning to live again.
My spiritual journey started as a form of escapism, wanting to run away from a challenging situation and finding solace in something that promises relief. Nonetheless the journey was worth taking. The path kept evolving; from seeking to understand life to living from a place of expansion, each moment felt like a revelation. My entire outlook on life started to shift. It was a profound paradigm shift.
Some painful experiences lead us deeper into life’s mysteries. We begin to question everything. The core of our inner selves is exposed. This transformation is never smooth, but it is undoubtedly worthwhile and valuable.
Losing a loved one teaches you lessons in ways you’d rather not want to experience, yet here we are, learning nonetheless, finding strength in sorrow and wisdom in pain.
What I Learned From My Loss.
You are NOT alone
Loss reminds you that you’re on a planet full of people who grieve or will grieve. If you feel life has been unfair to you, remember it’s not selective; it’s unfair to everyone.
Feel What You FEEL
Embrace the intense emotion you are experiencing, immerse yourself in it. Allow it to flow naturally and spontaneously, without resistance or reaction. Most intense emotional distress rises, peaks, subsides, and eventually recedes. This might take time but if we allow it to follow its natural unfolding, the process is healing and incredibly freeing.
Life MOVES on
In simple words it means “this too shall pass.”
I love Pooh’s quotes. They are the most heartwarming and insightful expressions among all animated series.
‘If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart. I’ll stay there forever. Winnie the Pooh.
You ARE strong
Know that there is an indomitable spirit within each of us — a flame that flickers but never extinguishes it is resilient against life’s fiercest storms. Albert Camus says ‘In the midst of winter, I found there was within me an invincible summer.”
There’s BEAUTY still, if you wish to see
For those who are willing to see, there is beauty amidst the chaos and challenges of life.
“Earth is crammed with heaven. Every bush is aflame with the fire of God, but only those who see take off their shoes. The rest just pick the berries.”— Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Life happen, OVER and OVER again.
The fear of death is misplaced because it marks the beginning of something eternal rather than an end. Its not an event to dread but rather a transition to a timeless existence, a natural part of the journey towards something infinite and everlasting.
‘The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity’ — Seneca
These days when I lay in bed worrying about something silly, when small niggles, hang-ups, and bugbears fill my head at the cost of better, more positive, and more worthy thoughts, I remind myself that these worries are just placeholders. If they seem unimportant in the grand scheme of things, I tell myself, ‘It’s not worth it; just let it go.’
Surrender is the beginning of living the truly spiritual life.
