Spice of life: Blessed for lifeline that breathes life into living

What is the costliest thing in the world? It is undoubtedly the breath! The only problem with the human race is that it doesn’t realise the importance of something unless and until it is on the verge of losing it

Life is a mystery. It hides within itself things that are unexplainable and at times lead to utter bewilderment. The answers to the most pertinent questions about life are the ones that sometimes appear interwoven with threads of mysticism and enigma.

The answers to the most pertinent questions about life are the ones that sometimes appear interwoven with threads of mysticism and enigma. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

I’m fondly reminded of the thought shared by William Walker Atkinson, “From the first faint breath of the infant to the last gasp of the dying man, it is one long story of continued breathing. Life is but a series of breaths.”

It makes me wonder as to what is the costliest thing in the world? It is undoubtedly the breath! The only problem with the human race is that it doesn’t realise the importance of something unless and until it is on the verge of losing it.

At times, we feel the pinch and start blaming life for it. We often label it to be unfair and biased. We start treating life as a separate entity that is detached from us. However, in reality, life lies in the act of balancing between the two extremes, pain and hope. I dearly remember the couplet which my mother wrote when she was making the best use of the breaths that were left with her, before she advanced on her journey and parted ways with me, “Here comes a brand new day; Don’t know how to thank and repay. To make you my favourite day, O dear one, I’ve to start right away.”

While she was busy writing such couplets that were full of life, I underwent a feeling of existing in two time zones at the same time. On one side, I was failing in my attempts in controlling the speed of time, which seemed to be progressing at a flying pace and on the other, I was witnessing the ever-increasing gaps between her breaths, as if life was moving in slow motion.

When we face such tense situations, we can’t help but question the very existence of the cycle of birth and death. We will go to any depth to reverse the situation; however, while trying to do so, we shall not only be trying to swim against the tide of time but also create a vast emotional chasm between what is real and what is not. Even in times of extreme distress, one needs to find something which they can hold on to.

The quality time that you spend with your parents, listening to their thoughts, showing your love and care for them, seeking advice from them no matter how old they become, welcoming their suggestions, sitting by their side when they get old or are troubled; are all memories which will act as an anchor when they will not be around. The greatest blessing in your life will be if you happen to spend the last days and the last moments, listening to the last words of the person whom you love the most.

My mother’s statement in her last days, while blessing me, “You had let me bask in the glory that I have raised you right” has become my lifeline.

harneet@live.com

The writer is principal of Podar International School, Ludhiana