It’s all about a little effort…

Taking people for granted is something that comes to us humans very naturally. In the times of our parents or our ancestors, people would care about others’ feelings, while today’s generation is more focused on keeping themselves happy. Our lives revolve around our careers, our people, and having fun. When I include our people, I mean they being around us and making us feel happy. But, what do we do to make sure they want to be in our lives? Do we put in any efforts to please them, to keep them happy, to make them feel wanted?

Being in a career oriented or a focused generation, we involve ourselves completely in pleasing our managers, our bosses, our seniors, and every soul who we think will ensure a boost in our career. We do this irrespective of being anyone, from a corporate employee to a businessman. Jahase munafa, waha pe focus aur efforts. While that’s our priority, the close ones in our lives are more of a support system. They are assumed to be “always there”. We expect them to rejoice our victories, alleviate our pain or failures, they are expected to always “understand”. Whether we do that in return is never thought about.

There’s not much that is needed. Only an attempt at putting in some minuscule efforts in making them feel they are a part of everything we do. If you say you do it, try recollecting the last time you said ‘I love you’ to your wife, or your mother, your children or even your father. It’s that basic. The smile that you get is priceless. It’s all about putting that conscious effort. And please don’t say that you do it on their birthdays or some special occasions. These days are a mandate and it’s a basic expectation that you need to make them feel special. But is that enough? What if you are fed a special dinner only on your birthday and the rest of the days you are made to eat daal chawal. Would that suffice? Wouldn’t you expect exciting food to be cooked over weekends? Many people crib about boring food cooked for dinner, saying after a long tiring day the least they expect is some good food. So, if you can’t deal with monotony every day and expect things to be done apart from your birthdays or special occasions, why can’t your loved ones expect you to shower some love every day?

They are supposed to understand our moods, our tiredness, our irritation and anger. But don’t you think the main reason they are in our lives is to make these feelings go away? Isn’t the reason we have them in our lives is to make us feel happy about our lives? Of course you need your space some times or rather most of the times. But shoving them away or yelling at them is not the solution. Or rather that’s the most stupid thing to do. Our generation is very low on patience. When they are trying to make an effort, we don’t return that effort. Instead we make it more difficult for them by being impatient and increase their irritation. Don’t forget, they have their own lives, their own irritations, their own problems that they are dealing with. Probably not letting you know about them inorder to not increase your stress. But do you do that too? Or do you tend to increase their irritation and stress? Share your problems, share your thoughts. That way they won’t be wondering what went wrong that you are not talking to them or what did they do to irritate you. The distance between two beds is the longest distance and it takes a lot to reduce this distance.

We take relationships very casually. Our parents are the most neglected people in our lives. Unfortunately, it’s too late by the time we understand this. Especially our fathers. They are always invisible. But when they are gone, we feel them the most. We think they are here to stay, but imagine a day when you had a fight with the person you love the most in your life, which you could have easily avoided by being a little patient and understanding. You still have that anger filled in your head with all the heated conversation so you don’t talk to each other. This loved one meets with an accident an dies. Can you imagine the feeling when you come to know the last thing you said to this person was so nasty, you could kill yourself for that? All your memories would be clouded just with that one thought. Imagine living with this hole in your heart. If you live each day with this feeling in your heart and the thought in your mind, you will start caring more. Better later than never right? Why don’t we start caring about our people from this moment on and say that we love them from the deepest corners of our heart? Do that little something that makes them happy and brings a smile on their faces. It’s all about putting that little effort. Try it?

Cheers to you, cheers to lyf…!

Weird is the new in…

Weird title right? I’m sure you went all “Huh?” at it. Have you ever considered dancing in the streets like those people do in Bollywood movies? No, you won’t take to something like that. Reasons? Too embarrassing, too much attention, fear of being judged, fear of being laughed at, again..too embarrassing.

Do any of those reasons make you feel good or bring a smile on your face? No, instead they sound like a burden. Have you ever observed kids? They do everything that makes them feel happy. They only look back to check if the people responsible for them, who they call their parents, are around and they get back to what they are doing. Just a glance is enough. They never feel embarrassed. They fall, do stupid things and yet they manage to make us feel good about what they do. We adults think a lot. We can never manage to let go and be like a kid instead. We think a lot about the people around us and what they might think about our behavior.

One fine day, you wake up and feel like going for a bungee jump, the first person ready to accompany you, are the kind of people you want around yourself. Not the types who go all, “Huh? Are you out of your mind? Shut up and sleep back.” on you. You might sound like a nut-crack or crazy but if that’s something which will make you happy, why not? These are the kind of people who will pull you back. They’ll make fun of you but somewhere down, they know they want to feel as free as you do when you think and do such things. None of these people are going to come to your rescue when you are in trouble. The ones who turn up will never be bothered by your craziness. It is considered irresponsible and carefree but, Duh! That’s what we are aiming for.

What do you think weird means? If you go by the dictionary, you’ll end up being tagged as possessed or something supernatural. But according to the Urban Dictionary, it’s crazy, strange, odd or even awkward. So, you would at least sound natural and not supernatural. Keeping the definitions aside, just think about it. Doesn’t it get monotonous? Pleasing people, doing what they like you to do and all that. Pleasing someone should be like the last thing on your mind. Think about a particular attire which you like so much that you could wear it anywhere. Let’s take the well-known example of sports shoes on Salwar Kameez/Saree. The women who wear it are so comfortable. They don’t really care what the world thinks about them. But when we see something like that, we give them weird looks.

It is just all about opening up. You feel you are answerable? But to whom and why? There’s no harm in doing something which makes you feel good. Bunk that lecture and go play a football match; quit your job and take up to your hobby as your career; eat ice-cream when you have a cold, trust me it will work wonders than those stupid medicines. Talking over phone and need to note down a number? Try writing on your leg instead. Why? Because writing on paper is too mainstream. Sounds crazy right? If you stop bothering, it will make you feel way better. Weird is not how you are, weird is how the world looks at you.

To the weird ones, you think you are the only ones? Just look around and you’ll find plenty. Even the ones who think you are a crack head, you find them weird yourself, right? It’s about giving a darn to the world. We are born to die, but in the meanwhile, how about living a little? And instead of living a boring monotonous life, live! My suggestion? Go have that dance in the rain at Marine Drive as if no one’s looking (don’t bother if anyone is because it’s their problem and not yours). If you are a hygiene lover, run to that pani puri stall and dig into the yummy taste. Live on your instincts, just don’t kill anyone in the spree.

Take the burden off your tiny little shoulders and live your life to enjoy every moment. You just get one beautiful life and it’s upto you to decide how you want to be remembered after you die. Weirdness is a part of you, cherish it. Because killing yourself to a boring life is too mainstream.

Cheers to you, cheers to lyf…!