Five Things

FIVE THINGS

“If you could take any five things with you on your journey of life, what would they be?”

I thought about this and came up with the following list; a sturdy, strong pair of boots, a thick coat, a warm woolen hat, a thick rope attached to my hip and an empty backpack.

I’ll wear a pair of boots so that when I’m stuck in deep mud, no matter how dirty filthy the mud is, at least my feet will stay clean. In times when everyone around me lose their trains of thoughts and hop on at the wrong platform in desperation, I will try not to be affected. When controversy and scams envelope all those around me, I will not tarnish my personality, I will not join in. Running away, even in a pair of strong boots, is never the solution. So instead I will be in the midst of it all but be a spectator, be aware but not be a part, be knee deep, waist high in the mud but make sure that my feet never get dirty.

A thick coat is essential for one’s protection. When negativity, insults, ‘you can never do it’ and ‘ you will fail’ is thrown at me, my thick coat will keep me safe. It will be my shield from anybody who tells me that I cannot and will not be able to do something, from anybody who attempts to shatter me or make light of my dreams. I refuse to be affected and refuse to be moved.

I’d carry a warm woolen hat for the obvious reasons. Imagine walking through life with a permanent head cold! Hello, my name is achoo! and my aspiration is to be an achoo! and I will stop at nothing to ‘blows nose’ fulfill my goals. It simply will not do! Thus, the hat.

I’d make sure to keep a thick rope attached to my hip at all times. When I’m in that swirling quicksand of ill luck and misfortune or in the depths of despair, I’ll always have a way out. When the walls seem to close in on me and the light seems to fade I’ll dig a tunnel guided by that same fading light until it becomes a blazing sun. I’ll always have a way back to stability. The rope unlike Ariadne’s string will not be my escape route but rather my reminder that there is one and that I can find it.

When it rains, I will keep my hands out and my fingers open so that I may catch all the drops that fall. True, when it storms and batters I’ll wish that instead of stretched out in front of me, my hands were protecting my face and covering my eyes. True, when I keep my hands out, criticism, hardships, troubles, and heart wrenching pain will fall and be collected as well but I will still keep my hands out so that when something beautiful falls, I’ll catch it, treasure it and put it in my backpack to take with me on the rest of my journey.