DEALING WITH THE FRAGILITY OF LIFE…
 Life is fragile. We’re
not guaranteed a tomorrow so give it everything you’ve got.
- Tim Cook
Life is fragile. The relationships we form, the memories we carry,
the very essence of being human and experiencing emotions and ups and
downs, make us fragile creatures. The fragility of life strikes us when
we experience loss of a job, a loss of a loved one, an illness or a
sudden mishap. There is so much we take for granted that makes the world
go around and then boom, suddenly, we realize we are the most vulnerable
creatures on earth, the most prone to breaking unless handled with care.
If the heart stops for more than two minutes, you have massive brain
death. There are only two minutes between our conscious world and zero.
That’s how fragile our consciousness is, said Robin Gibb of the famous
Bee Gees. Yet the fragility of life rarely strikes some of us who like
to think we can go on forever. In the process, they miss out on the most
important things in life, which are often the simplest ones.
Pausing is good therapy to make us realize we are indeed fragile. We
need to pause in the midst of life and all its juggling acts. Pause to
look outside the window and count the trees or the vehicles.
Pause to take a break and smile at people. Pause to talk to the ones
that no one talks to. Sometimes we just go on and on stuck in the
routines of daily life that must be done yes but ones that also enslave
us and imprison us in ways we would not imagine.
Keeping promises
We need to find time to do things that used to make us happy once
upon a time. We need to find time to do things that made the people
close to us once. Our parents, friends, children – these are the people
with whom we form life long relationships that are precious but also can
be very very fragile unless handled right.
 Pause when you want to have the last word. Pause when you want to
throw in the towel. Take a walk when you want to just give up. Pauses
are what brings us back to reality, enable us to realize that outside
the chores, the mundane routines, the responsibilities, there are
people, emotions, hearts, feelings that can be affected sometimes for
good. Fragility brings us back with a thud, away from the clouds that
sometimes carry us away so much that we lose focus.
Children have this remarkable ability to bring everything into focus.
They are simple creatures; their faith is simple and trusting, just as
God created them to be. They will take you at your word yet their hearts
can break big if you are not committed to doing what you have promised
you would. Keeping promises and finding the time are two of the key
ingredients in ensuring the fragility of life is not broken.
Spend time with old people – they cherish the company. Now that my
father is gone, and looking back I truly believe I could have spent some
more quality time with him than I did, locked as I was in my daily
chores and routines, I am determined to make the most of the time I have
with my mother. Realizing that all you have left is one parent brings
you into a fine focus of getting our priorities in life. It also makes
you realize just how soon it can all end. Making the most of the time is
often the little things – bring them a bag of hot hot wades, taking them
out for a drive, doing their laundry or simply finding the time to sit
down for a cup of tea.
Simple pleasures
My cousin lost her mother a few years ago. She narrates how her
mother asked her to wait for a cup of tea but my cousin had chores to
run and the busy mother that she was, she said no. How she says she
regrets not having that cup of tea because that was the last she ever
spoke to her mother. Her mother fell ill soon after and passed away too
soon for a good bye.
Finding the time to do little things for old people is also
therapeutic for us. It heals and restores a little bit of ourselves,
making us realize just how fragile our own lives are.
The next time you are too busy to look at the scenery outside your
window or watch the rain drops fall in rhythm, or the sunset or take
your mother or your father for some of life’s simple pleasures, please
do not hesitate. Life is too fragile, too fine, too beautiful for us not
to make the connections that last a lifetime.
|
