I am in love!

        I am in love with it! What is it? Well! Google defines it as, ‘that which gives a pause, a gap and also joins thereafter’. Any guesses? Yes, I am defining a ‘comma’. Friends, passed 6 months, life has been paddling faster and my working wheel has been busier. In this spinning mode, I thought that I would hardly fish time for my creativity, friends, relatives, health and all other miscellaneous activities but I was wrong in my assumption.  In fact I realized that, ‘busier the bee, easier is the time-management-key’. These were the months when I not only achieved the work maxima but I could also give quality time to mom, friends, relatives and learn diversity of creative activities. I don’t deny that there weren’t challenges but it was all about strategically assembling the pieces to reveal the final jigsaw pattern. I not only learnt to strengthen and prioritize my duties but also my inner circle. The first step after the leap of faith was ‘acceptance’ and I believe further steps become effortless subsequently. So I accepted that I had to shed the glory of leisure time which otherwise I enjoyed lavishly earlier. The second step towards an extensive ‘things-to-do’ list was aligning it with a particular time schedule in pencil. Planning using pencil makes it flexible whereas planning using pen adds to the stress of not really being able to modify it. In the field of human-diagnostics that too in pandemic one cannot afford to have a rigid planning. The third blissful but most soothing step towards my internal harmony was the judicious use of a ‘comma’. Comma here means, a break or a gap, bigger or small, between two of my tasks. I trained my mind to use smallest of these commas in a day to relax my mind. My relaxation could be in the form of a tea with a friend, quick guided meditation, phone-a-dear one, read a chapter in a book, walk for some time or go for a drive. These little commas helped me relieve my stress and experience a total change of the world temporarily. I found myself rejuvenated for the next upcoming tasks after I lived every little comma. The best part of using a comma is that it doesn’t demand any planning or a systematic line of action. As soon as I realize that I have a comma-time, I pounce on my happiness task at that spur of moment. Whatever available around me and fits into my happiness option is my way of using my comma, it could literally mean even putting my head down on my working desk for a short nap or hearing a song using a headphone. Choice of a comma moment will definitely vary with every person but what should remain common is its ability to revive our mind, inhale few refreshing breaths and wipe the mental desk for some new work files.