After lunch, I stepped out and sat on the swing in my balcony garden. My cat was resting peacefully as usual, soaking in the sunshine. There was just a slight tingling of her ears because of my footsteps. After realizing it was me, she went back to her nap. I sat there, without any book or gadgets in hand. It was blazing hot but I needed that warmth. I quietly started observing the various sights and sounds around me - gentle swaying of palm leaves, distant sound of helicopter, honking from cars on the road (yeah, even at 1PM), bees buzzing from one flower to the next, my cat nicely stretched and her breath so rhythmic and relaxed, a tiny jasmine flower that has just bloomed this morning, announcing that summer is nearing. As I was taking in all these through my senses, a pigeon dropped by from nowhere and was curiously looking around. I turned towards my cat and as expected, she was all alert but for only a few seconds. She might have thought, "nah, I already had my food. Not hungry enough to grab a pigeon. Why waste my effort?" and she continued her nap.
These 15 minutes felt like meditation to me. We don't need fancy apps or wellness retreats to feel the inner peace. Just by being ourselves in the present moment, being aware of our surroundings, being conscious of our senses and just observing nature - so simple but we have complicated our lives so much that these ideas sound so alien and strange. As I was taking a walk in the terrace last evening, this incredible view of sunset just brought so much happiness.
Slow living, mindful living, conscious living - whatever may be the term for it, this is the way I'm going forward with my life. I don't need to be busy every single waking minute - jumping from one task to next, reading a book, watching a video, cooking, scrolling through social media feed etc. I need these "do-nothing" moments too.
And for those who ask me, "What are you upto these days?", my answer is going to be "living my life", as simple as that.
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