Pedro was at home as the factory where he worked had shut down. His life had lost its steam as he awaited the restarting of the factory. He would literally drag himself even for simple chores. His hair was unkempt… clothes were crumpled… garden was full of weeds… his house and life were a mess.
One day, Pedro had new neighbours… the elderly couple had retired from their respective professions. Yet they seemed full of life. They were up and about early in the morning… always well groomed… growing vegetables in the garden… repairing, cleaning and doing something or the other!
Pedro was surprised at their zeal and zest. He asked them the secret of their joy. He was surprised with the answer. The couple had lost their only daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren in a road accident. To escape the pain, they chose to keep themselves active and busy. Since they had retired, they found out new things to do.
The lady said, ‘we have retired from our work but we chose to not retire from life! We lost our family but we still have each other. Instead of looking at what is gone, we looked at what we have and what we can create’. The man hummed a Hindi film song, ‘Jeevan chalne ka naam’ (Life is about moving on)…
Pedro learnt the value of being active. The word suggests activity, applying it to anything implies some sort of motion or action. A person might be physically active, not sitting around and doing nothing, or mentally active, working the mind. But the main thing is to be active. And doing different things makes it even more fun!
It is not good to stay static especially when you are feeling helpless and hopeless. We must find things to do… some activity… maybe a hobby…some work, any work! The purpose is to be active. The activity could be personal, social, recreational or even another career… something to be active!
Forlorn are those who resign to their fate
Be active and watch joy enter life’s gate!
~ Pravin K. Sabnis
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