Moments

Time has a strange way of speeding up or slowing down, at the most inappropriate junctures. One moment you're doing something...and the next, you look back, and find mere traces of that "something" etched somewhere in the remotest corner of memories. Moments, hours, days, years...just pass. An era goes by, and you look back, and realise...oh, time flies! In the fast paced speeding time-frame, which is only able to scoop up some random moments in its little time-kity, we are left with haphazard shards of reminisciences that stay hidden in some corner of our over-occupied minds.

If I look at my life in divisions of daily units, it seems rather devoid of much or any activity. What's the purpose of everything? What does it all lead to? Why do we go on and on following that same repetitive routine, which we become so used to that after a while, the meaning behind every little action is lost and forgetten. There always seems to be a rush, a haste...as if a time-bomb is attached to Life and its about to go off anytime, anywhere...without prior notice. There are a million tasks to complete before that, so much to see, so much to achieve, so much to remember, so much to experience....a constant race against that imaginary time-bomb, a continuous battle against an invincible force of nature, which ticks away with every heartbeat, a second, a moment closer to when Time would run out...when the time-bomb would tick away its last breath and everything would end...

That's one way to look at it.
The other way, which I prefer for my own sanity, is that, Life is a cumulation of moments and gestures, which need to be meticulously and patiently collected and stored in the most secure parts of the heart and mind, from where they cannot escape, get lost or be forgotten. Moments are like little shiny glimmering pearls of time, which have a painful way of scattering if dropped in a hurry or not gathered with extreme care. Once dispersed, mustering up every little sparkly piece of pearly delight becomes increasinly difficult...as they roll out into the farthest darkest corner somewhere, where years later, at some point of rigourous mental cleaning out, they'd be found..sometimes as a surprise and sometimes as a disappointing reminder of a forgotten memory... While collecting these delicate moments of joy, I try not to overlook those countless millions miniscule winks of time which compose our daily seemingly dull routines. One smile here, one tear there, one look here, a laugh there....and voila! A stringed necklace of glittering pearls is ready...ready to be worn in the drifts of passing time...through the barriers of challenges...through the rivers of flowing past, present and approaching future. Moments are of all kinds...some bring a smile to your face, while others put you in an inexplicable yet ferociously stimulating rage. Some resurface accompanied by our most dreaded fears, while others remind us of times when our hearts were penetrated with utmost joy.
For moments to be precious, they need not be complex or particularly complicated in nature. The simplest of little jiffies can sometimes have more affect than the long durable experiences. A smile from a stranger, a greeting from a little child, a random peck on the forehead by the person you love, an unexpected pat on the back, a warm hug from a friend, a line of a song that touches the soul, a single tear out of joy after an achievement, a rose found next to the morning cup of coffee, an unheralded phone-call from an old close friend, an unanticipated apology for a mistake, an "Im thinking of you" card in the mailbox, a walk in the park holding hands with a beloved, an evening of calm chatter with a best friend, the endearing sound of a favourite song playing out of time and place, a feel of a reassuring touch on the hand in a moment of weakness, witnessing a kind gesture on the street, hearing a wise word that just hits the mark perfectly.......
....The list is endless....and Moments are forever...ever and ever...