Thought for the day: Grab the opportunities that life offers

A man enquired at the railway station counter whether the Malabar Express has passed the station. “No”, said the railway official sitting at the counter. Then the man asked about the Maveli Express and the Janshatabdi. He was informed that the trains were either late or on time. The man then wanted to know whether any freight train was scheduled to pass through the station. The railway official, now a little skeptical about the man’s intentions, asked where he wanted to go. He replied, “I am not going anywhere. It is just that I wanted to cross these railway tracks.”

Those who try to live their lives meticulously, by calculating everything in advance, tend to quit things mid way as they find it difficult to successfully complete their endeavours. None can proceed in life by judging everything only on the basis of its merits. Life surely has a natural flow of its own. It never proceeds in a straight line, instead life is full of ups and down where we may leap or stumble. We lead our lives by enjoying the successes and recovering from the unsuspected pitfalls. No one can cross the tracks after all the trains have passed, instead we have to find the right time and space during the intervals. 

Be it wealth or stress – one should experience it only in the required amount. A balloon filled with too much air won’t survive long. Similarly, we should have the basic necessities, well enough to lead a happy and contented life. It definitely wouldn’t feel amazing to play with a ball which is only half filled with air. 

Extravagance and being impecunious are the two extremes which deny the right balance in life. Abundance of knowledge or being illiterate, too much discipline or laziness has never created anything significant in people. Common sense is to take appropriate decisions at the right time and to respond to situations wisely. It shouldn’t be given up to make others happy or suit the circumstances.