3 Life Lessons from Children

This is a personal story, but perhaps one that can help you too. On March 19th, my family and I drove to our vacation home in Nashik for the weekend. Nashik is a 3-hour drive from Mumbai, and so we thought - Great! We can spend a relaxing weekend together and get back to our daily grind on Monday morning. 

March 19th was a Thursday. If everything had gone as per our plan, I would have been back home, in Mumbai, on March 23rd. Today, as I write this piece, it is April 28th! It’s been one LONG weekend. 

Don’t get me wrong though, I am not complaining. I’m more than happy to stay put, if it means I am saving lives. 

These times of severe uncertainty, for me, have been an opportunity for observations and hand-ons learning - my favourite kind. Here in Nashik, we are surrounded by families that have little children. Each day, watching them play and simply live their best lives (with such ease), has taught me a few things that I can’t help but share with you too. 

1. Be in the Present - From the get-go, I learned that each of these children live in the absolute present moment - it is their default state of being. They don’t spend an extra thought worrying about tomorrow, the day after or even yesterday, for that matter. This simple fact and quality makes them such a joy to be around and was a big takeaway for me. Being consciously (and unconsciously) in the present would not only make me popular (haha), but it is my true nature, what I was born with! 
2. Everything is Alive - The moon, the stars and the trees make for great best friends! Children see consciousness in everything. Everything is alive and everything has feelings. I’m not saying we should start talking to the trees, but imagine, for a moment, if we treated everything and everyone around us as though they had feelings and were alive. Wouldn’t the world be a happier place? 
3. The Art of Letting Go - Finally, my biggest learning. If you have spent any time around a child, which I’m sure most of us have (especially on an airplane), you would’ve noticed that one moment they are crying and the very next they’re giggling, while the tears from their temper tantrum still roll down their cheeks. If you have never noticed this, because you’ve been so caught up with that temper tantrum (that they have long forgotten), I strongly suggest you take a moment to, the next time you get a chance. 

Children let go of things so easily and just move on. Every second, every moment is a new one, it’s a clean slate with no harbored feelings or emotions. Life would be so light if we embraced it and lived just like that. I hope this helps make your time in lockdown a little easier :)