live today, die another day….

Last night while reading one of the chapters of the great epic Mahabharata¬† I came across a passage where Yaksha questions Yudishtir, “What is the greatest wonder in the world?”

Yudishtir answers, “The greatest wonder is that although people see living beings die every day, they still try to live for ever”.

This was one statement that slapped me hard – all of us will die one day – we are not invincible. What would happen if suddenly we all knew the day we are destined to die? Would we conduct ourselves the way we do today? With this in mind, I have become more mindful, more introspective about living life fully and appreciating the gifts and challenges that are packaged as my karma.

As I wake up today, I promise to:
Enjoy the early morning chirping of birds, the dew in the leaves and the hum of an occasional insect.
Not to get angry or upset at anything.
Go for a walk and sweat for at least half an hour.
Be moderate in my eating.
Enjoy my breakfast as if it is my last meal.
Give my spouse and child a big hug before I leave to work and wish them a good day.
Greet the people in my office cheerfully starting from the doorman.
Adopt a 60/40 ratio between listening and speaking.
At work, plan the day and work the plan.
Call up a long forgotten friend or a relative and say, “Hello, it has been too long…”
In the evening, spend some time with my child and wife and ask them how the day went.
Switch the television off to chat and have dinner with my family.
Ponder over things that went wrong during the day.
Listen to some soulful music while reading a book before calling the day off.

Let me ‘live today and die another day’.