Inches

The arena was bustling with hundreds of fans…the air was electric…hearts were throbbing...it was pandemonium out there…

Although a few feet away there was absolute hush…a dead zone…it was the dressing room of the home team…the coach was about to say the final words before the match…this ladies and gentlemen was the finale to the world cup football match…

This is what he said…

“In three minutes we’ll walk into the biggest combat of our lives…it all comes down to today…either we heal as a team or we are going to crumble…inch by inch…play by play…till we are over and done with…

We are in hell right now gentlemen…believe me…and…we can stay here…or we can fight back…into the light…we climb out of hell…one inch at a time…now I cannot do it for u…am too old…I look around and I see these young faces…I mean I have made every wrong choice any middle aged man can make…I was frivolous with my money…believe it or not….I chased off anybody who ever treasured me…and recently I cannot even stand the facade I see in the mirror…you know when u get old in life…things get taken from u…that’s part of life…u find out life is a game of inches…in either game…life or football the periphery for inaccuracy is too miniature…I mean…one half a stride too late or too early…and you do not quite make it…one half a second too slow – too fast…you do not quite catch it…

The inches we need are universally around us…they are in every break of the game…every minute…every second…we have to wrestle for that inch…we have to shred ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch…we have to claw with our fingernails…for that inch…because we know that when we add up all those inches…that is going to make the distinction between winning and losing…between living and dying…

I’ll tell you this...in any fight…it’s the guy whose prepared to die…whose going to win that inch…and I know that if I am going to have any life anymore it’s because I am willing to live and die for that inch…because that is what living is…”

Life is a battle…every corner brings with itself a new challenge, a new battle…

In these tough times let us be strong and win those precious inches…

Cheers!!!

SIMPLE CHOICES

INTRODUCTION: The night was adolescent and had an unusual charisma in its stillness…however there was nothing extraordinary about it…just another bare and arid routine.

ACTION…

Story 1: the phone rang and startled me…as I was about to embrace the night and call it a day…on the other side was the voice which I used to listen to everyday…however today there was something dissimilar…it seemed that little bit extra engaging…that little bit extra affectionate…that little bit extra pleasant…the uncomplicated light of the full moon making its way through the window and bestowing its simplicity on my face…was not helping either…:). The dialogue was invigorating and peculiarly intriguing…my slumber had wished me goodnight and left…however there was no stopping me…or should I say “US”…it was brilliant and spectacular…her sweet whispers were the only thing that mattered at that point in time…her laughter…her sighs…her breath…threw me in a fantasy world and there was no coming back from that…

I was in love…

CUT…

ACTION…

Story 2: the phone rang and startled me…as I was about to embrace the night and call it a day…on the other side was the voice which I used to listen to everyday…however today there was something dissimilar…it seemed that little bit extra engaging…that little bit extra affectionate…that little bit extra pleasant…the uncomplicated light of the full moon making its way through the window and bestowing its simplicity on my face…was not helping either…. The dialogue was invigorating and peculiarly intriguing…my slumber had wished me goodnight and left…however there was no stopping me…or should I say “US”…it was brilliant and spectacular…her sweet whispers were the only thing that mattered at that point in time…her laughter…her sighs…her breath…threw me in a fantasy world and there was no coming back from that…

However…just when I was about to make my final plunge…my heart skipped a beat and I came thrashing back into reality…I realized the intricacy of the situation and the redundant repercussions…

Pleasantries were exchanged…call disconnected…

CUT…

ACTION…

Story 3: the phone rang and startled me…as I was about to embrace the night and call it a day…on the other side was the voice which I used to listen to everyday…however today there was something dissimilar…it seemed that little bit extra engaging…that little bit extra affectionate…that little bit extra pleasant…the uncomplicated light of the full moon making its way through the window and bestowing its simplicity on my face…was not helping either…. The dialogue was invigorating and peculiarly intriguing…my slumber had wished me goodnight and left…however there was no stopping me…or should I say “US”…it was brilliant and spectacular…her sweet whispers were the only thing that mattered at that point in time…her laughter…her sighs…her breath…threw me in a fantasy world and there was no coming back from that…

Soon the moon wished us good morning!!! And was on its way for some alone time…with the first rays of the sun…life acquired a whole new meaning…the morning draft seemed more revitalizing…dawn had not seemed so gorgeous ever…birds were singing sweets into my ears…

both of us had found their soulmate…

CUT…

There are no miracles in life…there is no such thing as fate…nothing is meant to be…
What really matters are the choices we make…

Make a wise one…!!!

(Disclaimer: work of fiction guys…don’t get any wild ideas!!!)

A Touch

I opened my eyes and found myself in an emerald web…a jungle...the only thing that surrounded me was silence…I looked around trying to figure out where I was…fretful and amazed I started to sprint…the impulse of survival kicked in and I began to look for a way out…

I ran and ran and ran some more…no getaway…no reprieve…weary and worn out I looked towards the heaven for a little aid from the almighty…

The sky was carroty in shade…the breeze was placid and comforting…

I noticed the trees, the leaves and the meadow beneath my feet …all of them sheltered by the morning dew…the intensifying waves of the sun made them look like diamonds…dazzling and striking…I kept my hand under one of the leaves to seize one of them…

It was dancing…moving from side to side of its flooring – full of life…while I waited…

Alas! ...it ran out of surface to amuse itself and surrendered for the inevitable…all this while my eyes became wider with eagerness…and now the moment had arrived…

It jumped out of the elevated tip and leapt towards my palm…shinning…I wish I could have frozen that moment in time to really savor its magnificence…

At last it landed…what I felt was something inimitable…a slight chill…my hand engulfed in its fresh and damp embrace…it had touched me by its sacrifice…soon my anxiousness was over…and so was my dream!!!

Everyday our lives are touched by millions of such precious moments…
However we don’t realize that what surrounds us is not wretchedness, detestation and melancholy,…what surrounds is actually…happiness, love, laughter, hope…

When a mother sees her new-born for the first time– her eyes are drenched with happiness…she has found her rationale to endure…

The laughter that all of us share with our friends…its eternal…echoing across time…ready to make us laugh again when we call upon it down memory lane…

And when the world seems to have turned its back on one…a sweet whisper from a sweetheart is all one needs to fill the air around with love and hope…

“A plain smile…a loving gesture…a simple touch is what I need to take me to my heaven”.

Invictus

A lot has passed by…moments of delight, recollections, tears of grief…I have lost and I have gained…I have struggled and I have survived…I have smiled and I have cried…today in this moment of retrospection I begin to imagine what life has taught me. Has it taught me to be valiant?...has it taught me to be a survivor?...has it taught me to be a fighter or a has it taught me to be a gentle soul?... no matter how much I think I could not come up with an answer…

The day went by unceremoniously and in its usual unperturbed manner engaging me in its elaborate futilities and as a socially qualified being I followed the course of time…wherever it lead me...I was content as long as I do not have to make the decision…my indolent mind was happy… :)

However in its empty spaces I did have something which wanted to come out…a lesson perhaps or maybe a remembrance, an episode? …I did not know…hence I disregarded the feeling and carried on as usual…being the socially qualified being.

Hours later I returned to my hostel room still clueless and purposeless when I saw something… (Don’t worry I wasn’t enlightened or anything)… I saw a picture of my parents…and I realized that the thing that was trying to come out of my mind was nothing more than…a consciousness…to become “invictus” – to be unconquerable…no matter what life throws at you. When I looked deeper inside that heart and soul of mine…

What came out was a basket…a basket filled with struggle...pain…triumph…joy…sorrow…hardwork…care…compassion…tears…laughter and lots of love…are you wondering that I went through all these emotions? …no no…it’s all about my mom and dad.
Everyday we pray to God to give us vigor to conquer all…what I pray is to be more like my folks…I try to inspire myself looking at them…its hard…most of the times its darn right impossible because I can’t do that little extra to become extraordinary like them.

For me it is my parents…for you it can be anything else…life is all about getting inspired by everything around us…using each other’s strength to perform beyond our own expectations…to be unconquerable against all odds…

A supporting occurrence - the other day I saw a child playing in the dirt trying to run fast…kept falling…kept rising up and falling again but never giving up…inspiring isn’t it…only if you want it to be…or you can just overlook it as a daily proceeding…losing the opportunity to learn the simplest and the truest lesson that life can ever teach you – you can only lose if you want to…

Even the universe has given us examples of true excellence…of being truly “invictus”…

Just look at the sun…it will teach you to be mighty like no one else is and caring at the same time giving you all the warmth you can ever need…

If you look at the moon it will teach you that even a scar can be so beautiful…

Hence…

“I am the master of my fate…I am the captain of my soul…I am invictus”