Let Nothing Hold You Back #BefikarUmarBhar

An incident that occurred recently in my life made me realize how fickle life is and how we run behind inconsequential things all our life. We ignore our family members for the pursuit of finer pleasures, let petty fights ruin cherished relationships, let our ego get bigger than us. We miss out on the fun of living life because we want to have a perfect high salary job, we want to secure an apartment in the tallest building of the city, we want our kids to have the best education possible, and we want to dine in the most upscale restaurants. But don’t you think that in the race of providing the best for us and our family, we are missing out on life’s sublime happiness.

I don’t remember when was the last time I stopped for a while and bent to admire the flowers in my garden or when I picked up the phone and called all my friends and talked to them for hours, just like we used to do when we were in college. Sometimes I wished that I had a pause button in life, so that I could freeze time and relax and enjoy my life. I try to console myself saying that this is the phase of my life where I should work, earn and make a comfortable nest of savings, so that 10 to 15 years down the line I can retire peacefully and be financially independent to do whatever my heart desires. But then again, who has seen tomorrow? What if I die today? Wouldn't I repent not doing things that I have always wished to do?

What if someone told me that I had no constraints to hold me back? What would I do? What if someone assured me that my family’s future is financially secure? Would I follow my heart and tick off some of the items on my bucket list? Of course, I would!

I would jump at this chance because it’s what I always dreamed of- the freedom to live my life as per my wishes and not be dictated by a schedule that is forced down by a corporate that doesn’t understand the need for my balance in professional and personal life.

So here are the 5 things from my bucket list that I would strike off if I was given the chance to live my life #BefikarUmarBhar

Travel solo- This year I have decided to travel alone. I would love to travel through the beaches in Goa and the backwaters of Kerala and if money is not an issue, I would also love to go to exotic locations. The freedom to plan my itinerary and visit all the places that I wish is like a dream come true. It would be a glorious vacation, I’m sure.

Open a bookstore- The choice of my profession was influenced by the amount of money that I could save after paying off all the bills and the monthly installments. My contentment in my job was never a factor in the decision. But now I realize that if could, I’d have turned back time and gone back to choose what I wanted.  I want to open a bookstore where the walls would be filled with bookshelves cramped with books. People could wander around, select a book that they like, put up their feet, order their coffee and have an uninterrupted time reading their favorite authors. For people like me such a place would be a paradise.

Take my mother and my mother-in-law on a vacation- These are two women I admire the most because of the way they have selflessly lived their lives. And I cannot find women who deserve a vacation more than them. I would love to take them abroad, to cities that they would have never heard of, to send them to spas where they can relax with rejuvenating massages and take them shopping and pamper them.

Write a full length novel- I don’t have the required discipline or the dedication to sit down for long periods and write a full length novel. I do write short stories because it takes lesser time but I wish that one day I’d write a novel and it gets published and that it becomes a best seller. Seeing my name and my work of words in print gives me an exhilarating feeling that I cannot describe. Of course since I don’t have to worry about going to work and earning, I can use all my free time in writing.

Meet J K Rowling- I haven’t been this fascinated by a writer since a long time. I love Harry Potter series and recently I have been captivated by her novels in the Crime and Thrillers genre. I would love to meet J K Rowling and maybe get inspired by her thoughts. I hoped and prayed that she would come to Bangalore soon, but since I don’t see it happening in the near future, maybe I can meet in her own country. Wouldn’t it be awesome to hear the inside scoop of Hogwarts life from the creator herself?

All my life I have worked hard to build a better and financially secure future for me and my family. But somewhere along the meticulous planning and the daily grind of everyday life I have forgotten to enjoy the present. It is time to live in the present and enjoy what life has to offer because there is no better time like now.

This post was written for IDBI Federal Life Insurance #BefikarUmarBhar contest hosted by Indiblogger.