Secure Lower to Go Higher
Today was like any other day. Got up in the morning making plans for the day ahead, and generally thinking about the future. Notwithstanding the mental pain because my little younger son suffered an injury on the face about three days back that had got to be stitched up with four sutures, life still had hope and of course the weight of responsibilities. And thanks to the heavens that he did not sustain any injuries to his eyes in his nasty freak accident!
Talking about my little child’s injury, it gets me thinking about another point. As my little child lay on the hospital bed bound by several nurses so that stitches could be applied, he wailed and thrashed in pain and fear. Though, as his father, I felt intense mental grief, still, the physical pain was his and his alone to bear. Goes to show how much each of our worlds and experiences are uniquely individual and sui generis; and beyond a point one cannot fully share the pain of another.
Coming back to the story about today morning – I was slicing some vegetables on the table, thinking about the day ahead and making plans. A number of work items had to be ticked off and of course many other things to do and achieve in life. As I slipped into a reverie of future plans, I suddenly felt a sharp serrated edge brush across my left hand’s index finger.
As my consciousness ebbed into the land of plans and dreams, I had lost full conscious motor control of my hands. Thus, by mistake, I had brought the vegetable knife uncomfortably close to my finger. Luckily, it turned out to be just a minor brush across the outline of the finger. But if it had been closer, I might have suffered a grievous self-imposed cut.
That reminded me that in order to reach the future of one’s dreams, it is better to focus on the task at hand. To get to the top of the staircase, each step along the way has to be navigated safely. Doing the simple little things at hand right has a better probability of leading to an outcome that is desirable. Otherwise, dreaming of big things, one can just be left nursing a deeply cut and bleeding finger on the dining table!