Born this way.

I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.

Hello folks.

Aah, I loathe to admit that these wise words aren’t my own; they belong to Martha Washington- the first “First Lady” of the world perhaps.

In some respects, we might be leading much simpler lives, in comparison to the first first lady. We may not own estates and slaves, and we definitely are not the spouse of the supreme commander of a young but difficult, future- super-power nation. Yet our lives, in these fast and furious modern times, are complicated enough to make us yearn for simpler times.

We run relentlessly, pursue single- mindedly, chase implacably; our goals, dreams and aspirations. Yet, not for a moment do we pause to delight in the fruits our efforts. Pity, we seem to be leading lives of mindless pursuit.

We miss the nows and todays, in lieu of working for a better tomorrow. Cliched as it sounds, today WAS a tomorrow once. I am a prime culprit- of the above mentioned life- crime. I do not live in the moment, hardly. Hardly ever.

Don’t get me wrong. I really like being busy. LOVE it in fact. At least in my case, an idle mind is truly the devil’s workshop, even worse possibly. If found empty, he sets up shop and builds grand castles of disillusionment and lays wide fields of misery. Therefore, being occupied, all day, every day is fantastic.

The little sleep that the ‘busy minds’ get is heavenly, quick and thoroughly appreciated. Only those who slog the day away can understand what it means to fall asleep the minute your head hits the pillow, with your mouth open, breathing deep and even – a babe on you and an iPad with a chapter on managing the airway open somewhere in there as well. Hence, being busy is great folks. But I’m hoping to one day be able to actually enjoy the “busy- ness”. Does this statement make any sense at all?

I believe that we are inherently born with attributes which dictate our general disposition. Some of us, despite our circumstance gravitate toward contentment and joy, and some are drawn to misery and disillusionment, whether we want to or not. I also believe that though the first group may lead more gratifying lives, it is the second on whom the burden of advancement and creative pursuits is laid. The discontent fellow is forever seeking new thrills of innovation, discovery and progress. He believes that “making a mark” or “propagating development and change” may satisfy the incorrigible, demons-of- discontent within. He constantly seeks a reason for his existence, to the point where no achievement is rewarded, no success is celebrated. He moves on to new endeavours, still searching for the ever elusive feeling of gratification and joy.

So fret not friends, you are either a happy bunch whose lives are full but unremarkable, or an unhappy but productive lot of doers who rather unfortunately are also master whiners. Either way, your life is a good one.

All said though, I would like to hope that despite our genetics and inherent tuning, we can train ourselves to be happy. That we can will our minds to find a sliver of light even in perennial dusk.

On that note, I shall halt this rant. Before I started this post, I had no clue what I was going to write. The words came forth unwittingly, therefore apologies if they seem incoherent, disconnected and the least bit grammatically correct! I will not edit them, and post them as they are.

I shall hopefully return soon with lighter, “fluffier” posts.

Till then.

Dr J.

P.S. Have a lovely weekend everyone. And pray I have a “slow and cold” call tomorrow!