Little things in Life!

I love making sand castles. But I never got to build one since I was 10. This time I made sure I have enough time to build this one.

Vacation! A word that instantly delights us. We all love going on vacations. Short, long, nearby, far, with family, with friends be it anything. I remember my mother telling me that when she was young, her dad used to take her to Juhu chowpaty ( Juhu beach, Mumbai) every Sunday. And there they used to build sand castles, play in the water and eat 'bhelpuri'. Her expressions always made me realize the fun they had!

But now, days have changed. Technology has overtaken. Today its okay if we don't carry our cricket bat on our vacation but it is absolutely important to carry our mobile phone. We can surely do without our football but missing out on our iPad and laptop is not at all acceptable. These days we just make plans to make a plan.

We pack our bags, take all our gadgets, designer clothes, expensive shoes, sit in our air conditioned cars, put on our earphones and head towards a luxurious hotel which has a 55" HD LED television and many more such amenities.

On our journey, we update our statuses to "On a vacation with family" or "DND. Off to so and so place". On the entire vacation, all we do is click selfies for our social media pages and keep counting the number of 'likes' that we get.

My question is, is this called a vacation?
Ain't it like our daily life? Are we enjoying ourselves or 'pretending to enjoy in order to create a hype on our social network'?

Well, these are personal imperative questions. I am not at all being judgemental. However, here are a few things that I did on my recent vacation (and seriously that helped me a lot. You can also DIY and see whether you feel the difference) :

Keep the phone aside : Updating statuses on Facebook and Whatsapp, making or taking unnecessary calls, unrequired chats or playing online games , whatever it is, it should be avoided. We are here to enjoy, the rest can be done any time later (I mean that's a part of our routine now.Sigh!)

No GPS : I know people say GPS is a boon. But what's more interesting is, to follow sign boards or ask people for the directions. GPS can't be reliable all the time( yes it ditched me). The local people know their place the best. Also sometimes going in the wrong direction can help you discover a new spot.

Talk in the local language : Try to talk, even if you fumble, its okay! ( Hindi is always there). Communicating in the regional language helps you to become familiar to the people, to know their habits, to learn about their lifestyle and also to get a good bargain *wink*. Also it's the best time to use that translator app on your phone.

Gather information about the places you visit : Each tourist spot has its own big or small history attached to it. Try to know about the place maybe from guides or from the local crowd. This helps us learn. This helps us increase our treasure of knowledge. Obviously we can read about it over the internet or from books but practical experience stands above all. 

Don't just click too many pictures: I know pictures create memories. But constantly clicking pictures is brutal killing of time. Use that time to breathe. Yes, breathe. Try to relax yourself and just take deep breaths in that atmosphere. You are on a break. Thus enjoy yourself. The solace that you acquire on a quiet beach in the evening or the thrill that you gain by shouting from a cliff is priceless as compared to clicking 20 pictures for your Instagram. Period.

Talk.Sing.Dance. : Instead of putting on earphones and listening to your iPad playlist, sing songs or play Antakshari or charades with your family members or friends. Crack jokes, talk about old times, share experiences perhaps its the only time of the year that all of you are together. Make time for your close ones, because these are the moments that you''ll cherish for a lifetime.

Play games. Involve each and every one in your group.

Eat the local produce rather than maintaining your daily diet. Try new dishes. Experiment with food. Tantalize your pallate.

Try to get out of your sacred comfort zone. Do things you've never done yet always wanted to do. Seize the day. Make it yours.

Don't crib about money. For most of us, that's what keeps us behind. But hey, what if you be dead tomorrow? What will you do of the money after you grow old and feeble? I understand money matters. But so does time and energy. (think for a moment)

P.S. : There is no such thing as the 'right time'. Because I've heard people say,"We'll surely go for a trip. Just let the right time come'. We need to make the time right. Don't take a break from work, to work during your break. Let yourself free once in a while. As it is said " Add life to days, not days to life".

                       

                                                                   Those ten fingers

Fingers touch soil..and leaves and grass,
Fingers touch books and pens in class.

Fingers touch wood..of those cricket bats,
Fingers touch jute of those weekend hats.

Fingers touch water..of the falling rain drops,
Fingers touch fur of the hair that hops.

Fingers play games..of carrom and chess,
Fingers love fights, to let loose and press.

Fingers count numbers.. minus and plus,
Fingers make mistakes yet handle the fuss.

Fingers get crossed.. while watching a match,
Fingers grip firmly while taking a catch.

Fingers get cut and bruised and torn,
Fingers still smile and do not mourn.

These fingers helped us learn and experience and thrive,
'Cause bruises are a mark that you lived a life.

But now these fingers..of adults, kids and teens,
Touch only TV and laptop and IPad screens.

Fingers ask us..to sometimes take a break,
To live on the edge for old times' sake.

Listen to your fingers and dance to their tunes,
Cause death is irreversible.. and fingers get doomed!
            
                                                                                                                              - Nehal Chawan