Let’s Make the Life a joyful ride and not a Race to win!
We all constantly are in a run, a race of life. And it’s not just a race, it’s a race to win!! Isn’t it?
This race started quite early in our childhood and is still going on in different ways, in different forms, and at different thresholds of life. But there was a difference in this race which we ran as a child and which we now run as an adult. As we grow, the race turns into a vast competition where we want to win! Even if not winning, we want to ensure we run it because others are running and forget what we lost behind while we were running!
Let me share with you a lovely experience of mine.
It was a beautiful evening and I was sitting in a garden reading my book. Just then, I heard children shouting, “Come on Priya, run, run!” Come on Shree, run run!”
Kids playing are always more fun than a barrel of monkeys! 😊 I couldn’t resist watching these adorable kids enjoying, having fun, shouting, and running. It brought back some wonderful childhood memories as well.
They had a teacher with them, who had put them in groups to run a race. Each group had to go run, touch the tree and come back. She asked the groups to run and said..” Let us see who runs fast and reaches me first”. You might feel..what’s different in this?…but there is something which I saw and it touched my heart…
This one group of three little ones had their turn to run. On the shout of 1, 2, and 3, all three tiny tots began running. Two of them ran as fast as they could..but then the third one did not run…she was a bit scared, she just stood there. The teacher shouted, “Run Gargi…run”. That is when Gargi ran with her two ponytails swinging side to side😊
Just then something very astounding happened. The other two who had reached the tree waited there for her…they did not run back..they kept calling her..”Ye Gargi..ye”[ Come Gargi, Come]. They did not move until Gargi reached the tree. They encouraged her so much that she overcame her fear and ran. When she reached the tree, they hold each other’s hand and all three ran back to the teacher together.
And I smiled and said to myself, “How innocent!”, “What a perfect race! What a perfect partnership! What perfect teamwork! I gave it the name “Joyful Race!!” They enjoyed the journey, encouraging each other rather than the competition of who will reach the destination first. 😊
We relate innocence to children….but don’t we have a Child hidden in us?…then where does the innocence get lost with time? Why we do keep thinking about the result that “I want to win” and miss the fun of being there for each other and enjoying the journey together?
Why do we allow FEAR to creep in? Fear of being looked upon as MINDLESS, the FEAR of FAILURE, the FEAR of LOSING, is what holds one back.
Break the FEAR, enjoy being there for one another, bring out the child in you, and nurture that pure heart of yours with love and empathy for all.
Life is not about winning the race. Life is about finishing the race, and how many people we can help finish the race together. Let’s be kinder to each other😊