So the other day, I decided to leave a bit early from office. Now usually, my office timings are 11 to 8. But sometimes, I leave a bit early. And for anyone from my office reading this blog, let me clarify – I’m not shirking my work; I completed the required hours of work after reaching home! 😉

So, anyways, as I was saying: Sometimes I leave early. I do this so that I can get to see the sun set (I have a thing for sunsets). And there’s a stretch on the way back home that offers a very nice view, weather permitting.

I’ve seen some really beautiful sights this way, but this time, the view was extraordinary. Golden-orange sunlight streamed through openings in the clouds. I could make out the edges of the beams of light, but just barely. It was more like a golden fog descending through the clouds, diffusing as it approached the ground, slowly disappearing mid-air, before ever touching down. It was spectacular! I wish I had a photograph or video, but I was driving and couldn’t stop to take one. (The above beautiful image is not mine!)

Watching this amazing sight triggered a thought, which has finally culminated in today’s blog. And that thought was: What other wonders have I been missing out on?

I was lucky I left early that day. And not just early, but at the exact moment at which I did. Even a few minutes here and there, and I would probably have missed that view. Most days, I am stuck at office at that time. So, how many other such beautiful scenes have I missed?

And it’s not even just about sunsets. Imagine all the other little “gems” that we miss out on, just because we are busy living our normal, everyday life. These “gems” could be different for different people, depending on what they find valuable and beautiful. Here are a few examples:

– If you are a nature-loving person, think about that refreshing scent of wet soil after the first rain of the season, which you missed out on because you were stuck in your air-conditioned room at the office. Or, a leisurely walk at night, with a really cool and pleasant breeze, which you missed because you were busy watching TV as usual.

– If you are a business owner, always deep in work, you might be too busy to attend festivals and functions at your kid’s school, missing out on seeing the joy on her face, or the chance to cheer her on.

– If you are a homemaker, you might be too busy managing the house, looking after the family, and just living your own life, that you never really explore the chance of a friendship (beyond the cursory greetings) that you could have with other people in your neighborhood. Who knows, maybe they could turn out to be the best friend you ever had.

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Coming back to my own example, I’m not saying that I want to leave office early every day just to see the sun set. I’m not saying that I want to forget about my responsibilities, and to just do what I want to do, when I want to do it. I understand that it’s the “grown up” thing to do – to sacrifice what you want for what you need, to do what’s necessary. And that’s totally fine.

But what I do hope is that, while carrying out my responsibilities and doing my “job”, I don’t forget about what I’m missing out on, about the things that add value to my life.

Putting everyday life ahead of what’s really important should be a constant, conscious choice and not just desensitization through apathy or forgetfulness brought on by the routine and humdrum of daily life.

I think making it a “conscious choice” is important mainly for two reasons:

1) It prevents the gradual and silent erosion of my wonder, amazement, and sense of beauty. Otherwise, over a period of time, I will be robbed of the things that I find beautiful, which would be a huge tragedy, and would ultimately lead to regret.

2) It leaves me open to make use of opportunities to indulge myself when I want to. So that, if for one day, I want to take a break from my responsibilities, and do the thing that I really want to do, then I know when and how to do that, and can make room for it accordingly.

Here’s an example of when I didn’t make a conscious choice: You might’ve seen or heard about the Super Blue Blood Moon earlier this year. I would’ve loved to see that in person! The sad thing is, I could have – it was visible for a good while where I live, skies were clear, I had the resources, everything. But I was otherwise occupied, and totally forgot about it. I’m still in mourning about that.

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Based on the examples, you might say, that’s why we take vacations and go on holidays – to recharge and reconnect with ourselves, and with those around us. And while I think that’s true, but a vacation is not your everyday life. You go somewhere, do something you normally don’t do. It’s not the same as finding the beauty in everyday life. And they are few and far between. Maybe it’s just me, but I need more regular avenues to recharge myself – things I can do in the present, and not months away in the future.

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To wrap up, I’ll leave you with this thought: Our entire lives are a series of moments. And we can spend each moment only one way. Any which way we spend it, there are a zillion other ways in which we didn’t spend it.

In the entire history and future of the universe, this moment, now, has never happened before, and will never happen again. Ever. And it’s already gone.

Was it worth it?

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Photo Credit: Steinar Engeland on Unsplash