Chickenpox!

I am back to blogging after a long hiatus. It is almost after 2 months that I had time and inclination to write. It is not true that I did not have inclination. Actually the whole of February I was extremely busy travelling and with work that I could not find time to write. Its again not true that I could not find time. It was a matter of priority among many other pressing things. It is certain that I did not prioritize my writing over the other things that I had to do over the last couple of months.

I was in Pune on an official trip in late February for a week. On the day that I was to return, I felt a general malaise throughout the morning. Around noon, I could feel my temperature rising. By evening one or two blisters come out on my face. But I did not realize anything much till I reached home. At home I saw several blisters on my body and a couple on my face. That put me thinking and then I Googled a bit. I figured out that these were the symptoms of chickenpox.

Chickenpox is a common viral disease which is very contagious and spreads through air and touch. Spring time is when it is most common. And most people believe that it affects only children. The fact is it can affect anyone who did not have it ever earlier in life.  But if it attacks anyone once, that person develops immunity for it for the rest of the life. Though not a life threatening disease, it is quite painful and irritating. The entire body is covered with painful blisters for almost a week and towards the end of it, they form scabs which are very itchy.

I had a lot of work at office. Though out of office for 3 weeks, I kept working from my sick-bed at home and managed to keep all my deadlines. But chickenpox actually makes you very weak. I felt very sleepy and was sleeping quite often and almost 12 - 15 hours a day. By the third week, most of the crusts had fallen off. I went to office one day, but felt quite tired. So, I took the next few days off. Now I feel better and will be able to go to continue my regular routine.

My running had stopped for the time being. Today, I resumed the same and ran 2 Km in the evening. I ran at a slow pace and felt ok. May be I will try a 3k tomorrow morning.

As luck would have it, when I am recovering now, wifey is now down with chickenpox. It is the 9th day for her and she will take another 9 -10 days to recover completely.

The Fire Triangle

Have you ever thought about the fire triangle of your life?

A fire triangle is a simple model to understand the necessary ingredients for most fires. It has the three elements needed to ignite a fire. The elements are: Fuel, Heat and Oxygen. A fire cannot start and sustain without the presence of any of these three elements. Without heat and oxygen, a fire cannot begin and continue. Without fuel, the fire will stop.  A fire ignites and sustains only when these three elements are available in the right proportion.

Similarly, within each of us, we need to have the fire triangle of the purpose, passion and persistence to achieve our goals.

Without a concrete purpose and the self-disciplined persistence, the journey towards our dream will stall even before it starts. Without passion, the journey will be listless and will stop mid-way. But, with the correct mixture of these ingredients, we can ignite and sustain the pursuit of our dream and we can move swiftly towards achieving our goals. 

Discover your purpose and persist with passion to achieve your goals!

Life is a Marathon

Life is a race. Do you agree?

Some people live life as if it is a race. For them it a race for status, money, power or fame. They run after many things in life. Others do not subscribe to this point of view. They, on the other hand, think that life is to be enjoyed. Life is to be lived well. Life is about love and life is about happiness. Whatever outlook you may espouse, you cannot deny that life is a marathon. It is a long, hard run. The hard part is to adjust to all the setbacks that life hands over to you. The run part of the life which is the way you look at it. You may look at it as an enjoyable learning experience or a despicable series of lamentation. It is your choice.

Life, definitely, is not a 100 meter dash. A 100 meter sprint is a one-shot game. A minor mistake in the beginning of the dash, and you are out of the fray. You do not have time to think, plan and recover. But life isn’t like that. Life gives ample opportunity to the participant to comeback, to struggle and wiggle out of a difficult position. If you are prepared and have the correct mental make-up, it is possible.

In a typical 42km marathon run, you participate to enjoy the run. You also test your mettle, run against yourself and try to better your own record. In the course of a marathon, there are many ups and downs, hills and slopes that you may have to cover. While you run, you pass by wonderful scenery; you soak in the sights and sounds of the world around; you get time to breathe and time to contemplate during the run. You can also change your strategy while running and have time to relax as well. Moreover, everyone who crosses the finish line is a winner. The key to complete a marathon is practice, planning and endurance. Little setbacks in the beginning of a marathon do not carry any meaning at the finish line. The best part of the marathon is that, in spite of the fatigue and exhaustion at the end of the run, you feel extremely elated when you finish it.  When you are at the finish line, you feel as if all the hard work, practice and determination have paid off.

Life is like that. Life is not a series of one-shot contests. Life is not all about winning against others. It is making the most of yourself and becoming better than what you are as a person yesterday and the day before. It is about that feeling of elation that a marathoner has at the finish line.

So, how do you prepare for this marathon? First, change your outlook. Then, practice living as if life is a marathon.