Now Or Never?

That's a big Gulaab jaamun, and so is the mouth it is about to enter. Alas! It is not mine…It is my brother’s.

I and my brother have different ways of enjoying our treats. For him, as I remember it was simple. The treat is there and you simply enjoy it fully and simply. You gobble it up and relish it wholly without any conditions. For me it was different. I would take a small bite and enjoy that, and save what is left for another moment. I would keep it deep inside the fridge, hoping my brother would not see it. But with experience I realised he knew what I would do. So he would find my precious treat, the treat that I was saving and hoping to savour in my sweet time and then he would devour it in front of my eyes.

I learnt a very important lesson, instead of waiting for that perfect moment in time to relish the goodies that life brings forth it is important to welcome the gift of the present as is. Welcoming the present without judgement, without a never ending want and wait for it to become perfect for us to then really enjoy it. I realised that there needs to be a balance between saving and spending and between craving and contentment. Why deny the pleasure of the present for the possibility of perfection in the future? Delaying gratification may have its advantages in rendering self control, discipline and the likes, however too much of even this can come in the way of living life to the fullest in the here and the now. It sure asks for an assessment of pros and cons to find the delicate balance between postponing and indulging in the pleasures of the present.

For now, I know I want to live the present mindfully and holistically without conditions attached. I want to enjoy the Gulaab jaamun…what about you?