Thursday, December 11, 2014

Age of Distractions

The day starts with me reaching out to my cell phone and not the newspaper as in earlier days
Few swipes up and down my smart phone screen and I know the stories which happened when I slept away.

Over hurried breakfast, my hubby is asking me something and I say ‘Yes’ without realizing what he asked
Blame it on the conversations on the cell phone; the personal ones sometimes get bypassed.

Heading to office creates a new ‘Me’ time where I have my FB, LinkedIn updates and RJ to boot
Dense traffic on the road as always, information clutter inside the car and fragmented attention too.

Once at office, the cell phone doesn’t stop ringing, messages flood in steadily and the email box has again reached its max limit
That’s how a typical day starts and ends, just about to focus on something and then a new distraction every minute.

Conversations cross over cubicles sometimes clashing with the voices inside my head
I want to make a point but the moment has already slipped through and forever waylaid.

In midst of resolving a problem and another one is already inching to take its place
I may seem to be involved in one thing but my mind is drifting somewhere else.

Just about to dash to grab my first good meal of the day and as luck would have it, a red flag is raised some where
One quick bite into what will be my half eaten lunch so that the issue gets attention fair and square.

So here I am, back at the workstation to deal with the situation at hand
Only to realize that someone made a mountain out of molehill, that too out of beach sand.

Never ending con calls and inessential meetings makes me wish I had a magic wand
Moving it in quick circles, make everyone disappear and take off to my dream land.

While I am talking to someone on phone at desk, my hand is drawing faces, triangles and squares
And in my mind I am looking forward to the evening get together and what will be my party wear.

As is apparent, our world will continue to get more chaotic, and many choices and options to choose from
What we need to understand are our sacrosanct goals in life and the rest leave outside our mind temple and 'home'.

Wise men have many time said before, our happiness is nothing but being in the present moment to experience a WOW.
And so as I am writing this poem I realized the joyfulness and bliss by just being here in the NOW.

Focus, single mindedness, and concentration are the rare bywords we should cherish and practice daily
In this age of multitasking, mind wandering and distractions, my simple aim in life today is complete the task at hand truthfully.

Being 40!

A spectrum of emotions as baggage, I embark on this journey of introspection,
a feeling of accomplishment and yet many things still undone much to my dissatisfaction.
Been there done that many times and yet to cross the finishing line,
a mixed bag of opportunities life has been so far, often going with the flow & sometimes by design.

When slowing down does not mean a sign of weakness, a new realization has dawned.
Acceptance and moving on, brings a sense of peace, as someone wise said, "This too shall pass."

"This world is just a theater", Shakespeare had philosophically said,
where each one is destined to play a certain part and address.
Yet attempting to write my own script & become the hero, I can look into the mirror squarely and face.

Besides a theater, this world makes a unique market place.
Where now I realize, giving back more than receiving is even more fulfilling and meaningful
in many more ways.

Better late than never is what describes best the present state of mind.
Retrospect and taking stock of what has been right and the rest leave behind.

Living in the moment and enjoying as if this would be (God forbid!) my last day,
many things yet to accomplish, Lord give me wisdom and strength to sustain, I pray.

Midlife is the best place to be unlike what many people say,
wiser from the many experiences of what has been and what could be possible is a hope, I continue to embrace.