Monday, December 19, 2016

Missed Sunset

We were returning from a training program held in an area with no connectivity for the mobile phone. My friend, who was driving the car, made a call to his sweetheart and started his love talk. Looking out of the window, I saw a spectacular sunset. I repeatedly urged my friend, ‘look here’ but in vain!

Eventually, he signed off the phone, stopped the car and asked me, ‘where?’ I calmly replied, ‘it’s gone… the sun has disappeared and the sky is no longer the same.’ He laughed and said, ‘so what? The moon will now create a new painting!’ I joined his mirth with my words, ‘no wonder you were caught up in conversation with the moon!’


Interestingly, my friend was named after the sun and his sweetheart was named after the moon. Last Friday, Ravi Shirsat passed away, way before his time and memories flooded my mind, enough to fill up many editions of Monday Muse. The most pertinent one was of the sunset he missed out on as he caught up with his sweetheart, Poonam!

It is true that the same sunset scene never repeats again. But there will be fresh occasions for enjoying a starlit sky or the luminance of the moon or yet another sunrise or sunset. One dark night, Ravi taught my daughter, Sonia to identify constellations in the sky. Ever since, she would tell me that she would see his face in the Orion whenever she would set sight on the night sky!

We must choose to enjoy the true joys of life from a wide variety of choice… the scene as the sun sets… the sight of emotions on the human face… the song of a bird… the expression in the voice of a dear one… the timely investment in our dreams… the time shared as an unconditional gift…

We are often caught up in the dilemma of missing out on one thing as we choose another. Life is about the choices we make. Every selection will mean that we will miss out on something. Eventually, what matters is that we have chosen one rather than none!

The missed sunset doesn’t merit rue…
If the alternative choice was truly true!


- Pravin K. Sabnis

No comments: