Friday 29 August 2008

Taking time off

Note: I read my friend Rambunctious Whippersnapper's latest post about Career and it made me think about my current occupation, hence the post.

I think I overuse the words "life", "fate", "depressing", "mind", "thought", "desire"...but hey, don't blame me. My mind is constantly going through depressing thoughts about what my fate will bring me, and what I desire from life ( heh heh). I guess I'm at that stage where there are so many paths visible that choosing one, and the right one at that, is quite a challenging task.

These days, the most frequent question I get asked is " Oh, so what're u doing now? Studying or working?". People get most surprised when I say, "Oh, I'm on a break, just chilling for sometime". I can see the look on their faces, which just drops me from their expectations of someone useful to talk to. It's as if i've broken some un-written law which condemns you if you're just idling away and not constantly running in the rat-race. Taking time off? How dare I do that when there are people slaving like ants to beat the competition. Don't know what I want to do? How can I not, when there are so many options available to me, and in this day and age when opportunities are popping out from every corner. I feel those eyes pierce me with looks which ask how I can even think about wasting a year of my life, when others my age are always on the go, and can't even think about not doing anything.

To all those people who judge me for my choice of taking it easy, I'd like to very politely tell them that I'm tired of running around and stressing. I've had my share of competing, my share of stress (what a big share that was!) and my share of worrying about what to do in life. What's the big hurry anyway? If not this year, next year i'll do something "worthwhile", as people put it. If not next year, then the year after that. I still don't get what the big rush is. I might be coming across as a completely air-headed spoilt brat, but hear me out for a while. What use is that decision which you take just to beat the crowd, just to be doing something that seems respectable to those peeking people? What use is that life chosen in hurry, and then later regretting your decisions? What good is a career or a job in which you're neither happy, nor satisfied, and as a result often, not even successful?

So, I say, just chill yaar, if you take a decision in time, good for you. If you don't, the world is not coming to an end. Instead of being fixated with one thing even if I'm not happy, I'd much rather try out a lot of things and then decide what I want to do. And even if I already know what I want to do, and still want to take things easy, I really don't see the big problem with that.

I have a lifetime to live, what's a year in that? Right?

13 comments:

Rambunctious WhipperSnapper said...

Neha, Nehaaaaa, Nehaaaaaaaaaaaa.

It's like the story of my life. I mean just saying 'my sentiments exactly" won't suffice. My sentiments exactfuckingly.

I get the same looks from people when I tell them "I'm on a break". After they pick up their jaw from the ground, their smile disappears from their face like chicken tikka at a punjabi wedding.

Why can't people just chill and take some time off? People don't get it. But then I don't get people. :P ....

D said...

People in this part of the world don't seem to understand the need and concept of being on a "break". Elsewhere, it's such a common thing!

Neha said...

Rambooooo: Lol...I knowwww..i could tell when I read ur post that ur life is running on the same track as me :P! I know, people just dont get it! Sucks for them :p...meanwhile, I Chilllll!

D: Yeah, it seems to be an asian thing to keep running around :). Makes sense, with all the competition and all. I'm a total misfit here :P!

Anonymous said...

a girl after my own heart! well said and that's the way to go! hell most people i know including me, live life exactly like that :)

@ramby: did I just see you getting soppy over another woman?? Get back here right now!

Neha said...

Chandni: Lol...yeah, so do most people I know, so i'm finding my way around the barriers and trying to live life like that too :)!

Rambunctious WhipperSnapper said...

Now I know how straight guys feel when their wife meets their girlfriend.

@chandni

Don't worry. I'm always in your corner. I can't pass out drunk on anyone else's shoulder.

@Neha's BF
I am not hitting on your woman. I don't swing that way. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

@Neha

pssst .... Is 8'O Clock fine with you??

Okay, relax. I'm kidding.

Neha said...

hahahaha

I like how u address the non-existent boyfriend :P!

8's fine...ur place or mine? :P

Anonymous said...

hmm... are you sure it is not laziness? Beware of it. There is thin line there.. you never know when you cross it.

Munir

Neha said...

Munir: lol...nah..i've had a really really stressful 3 years of uni...so i deserve a break..right? :P

Anonymous said...

Actually, you don't. Stressful life at college? hmm.. you ain't seen nothing yet.. come on Neha. We are young blood - nothing should tire you. Don't waste valuable years of your life doing nothing. These are the years when you can work 48 hours in a 24 hour day - don't waste this time. It will never come. As one of my professors at Gujarat University once told me - when you waste a year at the age of 20 - you are not wasting it now - you are wasting a year out of your retirement at the back end. Get in the groove and get moving.

TO answer your question - you certainly do NOT deserve a break.

Munir

Neha said...

Munir: That's one perspective to look at things. The other one is...life is just too short to keep doing things that you're not convinced of. Till I know what I really want to do, I really don't feel like starting up something new, and then not following it up fully. I've been unhappy doing something I despised for the last 3 years...im not going to let that happen again.

Plus, its not like i'm gonna sit at home idle. I'll probably do an internship or something, to keep myself busy and my brain working. But I really don't want to start something half heartedly just because I dont want to "waste" a year.

Anyway, its so sweet to see ur concern :). I miss that :(!!

PS: Will tell u in detail some time WHY exactly I deserve it.

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