This Time

Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership of this piece. The author had written this for me and I hope he/she won't mind my putting it up here for public perusal. It deserves to be read by as many as possible. I seek his/her clemency for being a blatant and shameless plagiarizer.

No one's around as you read this. Just you and that almost forgettable little voice which goes by the name of a conscience, telling you not to smoke when all your friends are puffing away, telling you to study just when you are beginning to have a good time, nagging you to be angelic just when the devil comes a-knocking. Now that you've looked all around and found no one peeking over your shoulder, let’s get down to answering some pesky little questions. Yes the ones that get brushed aside in the normal humdrum of daily existence, the ones that ought to be answered but never are. Allow yourselves the torture of facing them this one time.

When was the last time you treated yourself to the luxury of a lazy evening lolling on some grass? Doing absolutely, soaking in a fast dimming curtain of sunlight, feeling each blade of green as it pokes you, hearing a squirrel behind you, stretching yourself in utter abandonment.

When was the last time you reveled in a friendly leg-pulling session? Ripping a friend apart? Not online and certainly not over the phone. A simple person to person laughter soaked, buddy bashing spree.

When was the last time a line in a book or a song moved you in an inexplicable way? Not earth-shatteringly, ground-breakingly different. Not breath-takingy beautiful. Just moving in a quiet, almost shy manner.

When was the last time you felt the tongue of a dog lick across your face in that adorably delightful way that is so cleverly mastered by all creatures canine? Just enjoyed the moment when a dog bounds up to you, laughter rollicking in his eyes, ball in mouth, asking you if you could throw it just one more time.

It is extraordinary how we manage to go past our lives living from one mundane task to another. Hopping from one excruciating deadline to the next, zombified by the necessity to exist, doing things that are supposed to be done, following the path others lay down as the correct one. This is certainly not a pep talk telling you to follow your dreams. It’s about telling you to at least find the time to dream in the first place. Consider yourself worthy enough to dream for. The time used to think for yourself, your needs and your own wishes is always time well spent. Living each day as a drag, complaining about painful workloads, studies, jobs, and families isn't what we were meant to do. We were (hopefully) meant to be living our lives more passionately, packed with more laughter and some amount of hurt and tears each day and certainly more satisfaction.

So the next time you see a face smile at you, hear a quirky little tune, take the time to enjoy it with a happier heart. Giggle at trivial things (frankly no one is bothered by your breaking out into grins so forget about looking silly), enjoy a bath, hum a song, eat with passion and be a livelier person. This may sound like a Readers' Digest "How to Stay Happier" article and maybe it is. But somewhere the beat of that teeny voice of your conscience is nodding its head in agreement in its sagely condescending manner.

Take the time.