Our youngest daughter, Princess Leia (from Star Wars), is a yellow Labrador retriever. To us, she is clearly the best dog in the world. We have two more daughters, our biological daughters. Both of them are based in the US. Needless to say, all of us completely adore Leia. Recently, someone close to us, put their dog to sleep. This prompted me to send the following message to my girls.
“My dearest girls, after seeing so many people passing away in my life, I would like to share my thoughts with you. Please bear with me.
We normally take our friends, family and good times for granted. More often than not, we don’t take time off from our busy schedules to spend it with people dear to us and older than us. While we are absolutely ready to chuck everything and stand by the same people in their hour of need or if they are unwell, we fail to recognise the opportunity of spending good, quality time with the same people, when we have the chance. We somehow forget to balance life. While we understand the law of nature and what it translates to, we strangely act and behave as if we are oblivious of it.
This also applies to Leia. I know it’s difficult for both of you to come home in the current covid scenario. But every calendar year that goes by, is a lot for Leia. So whatever plans you make in the future, do factor in a trip to India, so that you can spend time with her while she’s still healthy and running around. Before you know, time will fly by…. It also applies to your grandparents and parents… don’t mean to sound melodramatic. It’s important to have the awareness and balance.
In retrospect, I could have spent more time with my sisters. However, there is no regret since I genuinely believe this was meant to be. But there is a lesson to be learnt.”
Unfortunately, in my span of 53 years, I have witnessed the parting of many a loved one, from an early and tender age of 5 yrs. It started with my grandmother, then my father, then a very dear friend, then my best friend, my sisters…
That besides, at a point in our lives, we were threatened by a Supreme Court order to demolish the very building we live in, with no compensation whatsoever. We fought that order tooth and nail. After over a 2-year gruelling battle, we managed to save our homes.
That was followed by my elder daughter having a heart wrenching accident in the US and as a family we were yet again put to test. It was a long-drawn battle, but we came through. Today, she is fine and back on her feet. Independent, self-sufficient and healed. A living miracle.
My mother is a triple cancer survivor. She had complications but fortunately we were lucky enough to be out of the woods after a yet another weary battle.
My brother was then diagnosed with cancer too. Fortunately, he is a trooper. Post-surgery he is now in complete remission and doing perfectly fine.
Recently, Leia was diagnosed with a lump in her side. We consulted 3 surgeons and all of them were convinced it was malignant. We had her operated and lo behold, it was benign.
It was difficult for me to comprehend the larger message of these events. But with passage of time it started to unfold.
The dictionary meaning of Celebration – “the action of celebrating an important day or event.”
More often than not, one’s behaviour is a product of social conditioning. If one had to closely scrutinise, Celebration is inspired by the emotion attached to an incident that brought us immense happiness. Most of us celebrate birthdays, anniversaries…. a moment or an occasion of our lives that we cherish and like to relive the memory of, often with our loved ones. Celebrating such events, no doubt brings joy to us but often they are celebrations resulting out of social conditioning.
While we recognise major events in our lives that by default call for a celebration, we often miss the smaller events that equally call for a celebration. More importantly, we forget to notice the biggest gift of life – Life itself.
To see my elder daughter today independently manage her life. To simply see her walk like a normal person…. to be able to sit in the comfort of our homes. Have a roof over our heads, not having to worry about what next…. to see mother like she never ever had cancer. Normal and cheerful…. to see my brother wake up every day, ready to conquer the world… to see Leia absolutely normal after 2 surgeries… to have a wife that has stood by me like a rock through thick and thin… to have simply amazing friends and often strangers who have chucked up everything and stood by me in my times of turmoil…
Through the strangely diverse experiences in my life, I have learnt to recognise the small miracles in life. Learnt to appreciate the little things in our day to day lives that actually call for jubilation. While we hear many a people say, “count your blessings” or “we are so blessed’, I truly cannot stop counting. Every day I wake up to, feels like a blessing. It’s not about just being grateful. It’s about acknowledging the gift in everything around me. Every day of my life reminds me of the struggles, and the triumphs. As much is it sounds cliché, for me, each day of my life truly is a celebration.
Written by Ajay Mehta
Born and brought up in India’s commercial capital, Mumbai, Ajay is a thorough gentleman and an accomplished entrepreneur. A fitness junky at his core, he is a 25 year old in the body of a 50 year old. Always the life of a party, he has an unmatched passion for movies and music.
Week 51, December ’20
