It Is The Simple Things In Life Which Give It More Stability

Monday morning began with the realisation that nearly one-third of the year has already gone by, and one wonders where it went. This is something many women I interact with have been feeling increasingly. Time in form of minutes, hours, days and years slipping away, as we run behind career goals and try to make ends meet at home. Where is the time to slow down? Where is the time to enjoy success or mourn over failures and loss? There is too much pressure to carry on, and there are too many gadgets to tamper with. Amidst all the complexities life throws at us, we forgo slowing down and enjoying its simple pleasures. Is that the reason why most of us may be feeling so disjointed from it?

SOME TAKEAWAYS:

• Amidst our hectic lives, we do not have the time to slow down.
• We forgo enjoying simple things in life, chasing deadlines and chores.
• Is it why most of us feel so disjointed with our own lives?
• But these simple things can be both rejuvenating and bring a certain stillness to life.

All these things may come across as unproductive at first glance. Isn’t this why we hire help? To take care of our mundane chores.

When was the last time you sat down with a book at a café, to enjoy a warm cup of coffee. Or trimmed the plants in your garden and watered them, observing each new bud and leaf it was sprouting? Or perhaps took to de-cluttering your cupboard or dusting your house, not because it was necessary and your maid was away, but because it was invigorating? Rather than running around the house to complete the chores, when was the last time you played tag with your child? Many of these things may come across as unproductive tasks at first glance. Isn’t this why we hire help? To take care of mundane chores like dusting, reorganising the cupboard or watering the plants?

But often, it is these simple “unproductive” things, which give our lives a certain stillness. A stillness which gives you time to reflect on and enjoy all the things that you have worked so hard to acquire. This stillness can both be rejuvenating and help you appreciate things that you no longer do. It can help your clear your mind and de-clutter all the stress that occupies your mind. It diverts our attention from complex problems and struggles our life is littered with, even if it is for a few minutes.

Often, it is these simple “unproductive” things, which give our lives a certain stillness. A stillness which gives you time to reflect on and enjoy all the things that you have been working so hard to acquire.

To appreciate simple things in life is also to pay attention to the simple pleasures that gets overshadowed by our overbearing routine. A quite lunch in a park, on your own will bring you closer to yourself. Just yesterday, I spent an hour solving picture puzzles with my daughter, and I realised how much she loved this activity, over other games that we play. How she had gotten better at solving puzzles than she was just a month or two ago. We notice bigger developments and changes, like shedding of milk teeth and physical growth. But these little everyday milestones often escape our attention. It just struck me that my daughter was growing as a little person everyday. She was learning something new and developing a new skill on daily basis.

Despite her achievement being simple and perhaps insignificant to an indifferent eye, as a mother, it filled my heart with warmth. And considering how warmth, joy and solace are a rarity these days, shouldn't we clutch at these simple pleasures at any possible opportunity? No matter how tiny they may seem to be?

Also Read: Why We Need To Talk More About Difficult Pregnancies

Yamini Pustake Bhalerao is a writer with the SheThePeople team, in the Opinions section. The views expressed are the author’s own.