From the Hospital Bed ... A Ruptured Appendix but a Lifesaving Closure

#MyWeekendMusings

June 15, 2024 : Yesterday was a day unlike any other in my life. It started like every other day - early morning coffee, scanning emails, and diving into work with the relentless vigour I’m known for. But by mid-morning, a strange discomfort set in with a gnawing pain that quickly escalated to being unbearable.

What followed was a whirlwind. Within 3 hours of walking into the ER, I found myself diagnosed with a medical issue, not life threatening but serious enough that it demanded immediate surgery. Just 8 hours from the onset of discomfort, I was on a gurney, being wheeled into an operating room.

As I lay there, staring up at the bright surgical lights, a simple realization washed over me. For all my planning and control over deadlines, I realised that time can really slip through one's fingers. In those moments, on the operating table stripped of my usual armour of productivity, efficiency, and dandy clothing, wearing the bare minimum patient surgery scrubs, I was momentarily left with nothing but raw, human vulnerability.

And in that vulnerable daze, I saw clarity. The accolades, the late-night emails, the 7-day satisfying work week - they suddenly all seemed somewhat insignificant. All the material success, the possessions I was in the pursuit of achieving, felt a little hollow. What truly mattered were the moments of joy and love I had shared with those closest to me. The laughter of my children, the warmth of my wife's and parents embrace, the camaraderie of dear friends and special people in my life —these were the treasures that I had often sidelined in my pursuit of professional achievements and material greatness.

As the anaesthesia started to take effect, I realized that life's true essence isn't after all measured in milestones or achievements. It's the love we give & receive, the connections we forge and those fleeting yet extremely precious moments of happiness. Everything else is ephemeral, a passing phase that ultimately converges towards an inevitable end.

In the cold, sterile environment of the operating room, I found a strange sense of peace. Even though I was comforted that my condition was not life threatening, unlike some of the people I had briefly seen or heard in the pre-operation room, I was given a chance to confront my own mortality, to recognize that no matter how hard I work, control over time and fate is an illusion. The only real control we have is over how we choose to spend our time now, and who we choose to spend it with. For an entrepreneur, his business or startup is also his baby but many a times and me specifically, we forget about the rest of our family at home.

Laying there, I promised myself that going forward, I would strive for balance. I would work not just with my mind, but with my heart as well. I would make time for those I love, and not let the pursuit of material success overshadow the simple, profound joys of life. As I drifted off into unconsciousness, I realised, it's not about how much you’ve achieved, but how much you’ve lived and loved. Everything else is just a backdrop, enhancing the moments that truly define our existence.

So, dear friends my message this weekend is that - "Time is fleeting & life is fragile. But within that fragility lies the opportunity to live deeply, love fully, and find joy in the simplest of moments. Let's live."

Hopefully getting discharged later today with 3 bandaged laparoscopic holes in my stomach : am looking forward getting home and then to office the coming next week but with a sense of gratitude, a deep closure, and a simple life-lesson on balance.

?#hearttoheart #lifeisablessing #livelife