End & the Means

Life has a strange way of making us value the things surrounding us, day-in and day-out. We are mostly oblivious to the blessings showered over us till they are no longer available. Talking about our priorities, the first thing that occupies our list is a successful career. But what about other things that make way for this unilateral success! We only give a thought to them when our success gets hampered somehow. As humans, we have been programmed in a manner that our bodies signal us when anything disturbs it. So a halt is needed to appreciate the means rather than the end.

This pandemic has come up with varied forms of itself. In addition to this, it has also revealed the various forms of us – Humans. It has brought us down to our knees. No one was ever scared of a running nose and a sore throat. The common excuse to avoid a day’s work was a common cold. But things have changed lately. These symptoms fill us with fear now. When the pandemic first stepped into our homes, the routine life experienced a stop. We no longer had the same routine. This disruption made us value those small things we were neglecting at large.

This upheaval was not in the daily routine of our work only. Our bodies, too, experienced a new challenge. The entire COVID experience is nerve-wracking. We have seen it all, from high-dose medicines to bone-chilling temperature. The loss of taste made us nostalgic about the times we used to have our favorite desserts. Smell, too, wasn’t spared. Ah! Those flowers looked dead without the ability to smell them. On top of all, the fatigue became a constant companion. Normal senses became alien to us. This was the time that made us acknowledge the value of things we used to take for granted. Waking up in the morning without an ache is a blessing. Being able to prepare breakfast and eat while enjoying the taste of each bite is a blessing. Relishing the dessert and munching on snacks is something to be grateful for.

We forget that health is the means to success and happiness. As long as we know how to value this precious gift handed down to us, we are good to go. The moment this invaluable gift is taken away from us, nothing seems worth it. It is the means to the end and an end in itself too. It is a priceless entity that needs to be guarded all the time. So give it much-needed attention before it makes you realize its worth!