It’s a hard life we live. The struggles many, the expectations even more and the timeline of our lives so unpredictable.
I always find It painful to read about the suicides of so many “successful” people in the news in recent years. Isn’t that what the endgame is all about? Why we compete and hustle like we do? The pursuit of Success!
Then why do we find extremely successful people unhappy? You’d think they have everything and they do. But who can control how we Feel?
I’ve always felt our society and education is so flawed. We only groom our kids how to “earn a living” and not to just ” live”.
The constant Pressure Cooker atmosphere of our daily grind. This deep rooted obsession to outdo each other and climb a manmade Social Ladder to dizzying heights!
Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves, our kids and on each other?
It can be so stifling!
All of the Summer, people asked me what “classes” Faith my oldest went for. Say what??
What ever happened to summer vacations being ,well, a “vacation”??
I never went for any “Classes” during summer break as a young one. I have the most delightful memories of summers spent just being a carefree child!
But in recent years, I find people putting their kids and themselves through a punishing schedule of Classes and Workshops during Summer Break.
Our kids are not our show ponies to force them to learn tricks! Can a talent really be learnt?
So what did Faith do this summer?
Faith slept in ( gasp!), played lots, read books, watched movies, visited her grandparents and cousins and went on outings with her family.She took a BREAK!
She also learned to wash rice while Mom cooked, separate her whites from coloured clothes before mom loaded the laundry, fold her clothes ( Yes, it’s a pain because it takes me much longer to supervise her but it needs to be done) and a bunch of other ” life skills”.
We hung out together and fooled around. We fought about silly things and laughed at our silliness.We lived.
Why is that not enough for everyone now?
Life is made up of small joyful moments. We need to stop and enjoy them. We need to slow down and remember how wonderful it is to just be alive!
So many people miss out on their share of happiness not because they never found it but just because they didn’t pause to enjoy it.Stop being so hard on others.Stop being so hard on yourselves.
“What is this life if, full of care,
- We have no time to stand and stare.
- No time to stand beneath the boughs
- And stare as long as sheep or cows.
- No time to see, when woods we pass,
- Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
- No time to see, in broad daylight,
- Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
- No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
- And watch her feet, how they can dance.
- No time to wait till her mouth can
- Enrich that smile her eyes began.
- A poor life this if, full of care,
- We have no time to stand and stare.”
- -William Henry Davies, “Leisure”
