By WahitoTravels- The assumption that the next moment matters than this one, has been deeply ingrained in us. Everybody inherits this mind pattern of a continuous illusion that there is something missing in his or her life. A continuous movement of thought that is so seductive, of “if only this and that happens, I will be very happy. “This has been made worse by the social media comparison with others.
I lost a friend last week after being in the hospital for some weeks. The worst part is that I sent my last chats on WhatsApp unaware that she was already gone; first time to experience this. She was always an online person and that evening after work, I noticed it had been two days since we last communicated the longest since I knew her hospitalization. It was late in the evening, so I decided to drop a goofy text to enquire why my chats went unanswered. The brother called and broke the sad news.
When we lose our loved ones the emptiness and nothingness, hits hard and only their memories linger. Her rest has been a very close reminder that indeed, we only have this moment with our loved ones and what we sincerely give priority.
Honestly, our lives consist of the very simple things and their deep appreciation makes all the difference. Being alive and health, the meal for this moment, painless body, flawless breathing, the feeling of the 10 am sunlight, the laughter and giggles of our children when playing, good times with friends over a drink etc. However, the World has made things so complex that we only realize how these simple things matter so much, when we lose them.
Every moment is significant and not a means to an end. If we cut out the waiting mentality, which comes with a lot of complaining, it becomes easier to enjoy what we have now even as we aspire higher. To internalize that, LIFE is more important than all our understanding of everything and anything. However, more often than not, the continuous float of mental state of lack tend to take this state of gratitude away. Remember that it is those things that do not cost money, that bring you the biggest returns.
In this picture, it was the Sunday afternoon that I had just come from visiting her at Mbagathi Hospital. I did not know it would be the last. She will be laid to rest later this week.
