I was lying in my mother’s lap teaching the way around her first smartphone. It was amusing to see her taking baby steps in the world of touchscreen mobile phones in a year in which Augmented reality has started to take over.
I showed her what Youtube is and played one of her favorite songs. The mood suddenly changed. She held me a little closer. A little tighter. I noticed her eyes were being filled slowly.
Reality struck me. I haven’t done this in a very long time. I had the habit of lying in my mother’s lap and talking about random things. That has not happened in a while.
Why?
Because I was busy chasing success. I was busy chasing dreams. I was hustling. It’s wonderful to follow your dreams, but don’t be blinded by them. For the most part of 2017, I was busy working from 13 to 18 hours a day. I have been writing code, building stuff and talking to people in the hope of finding the perfect product which would make me the next millionaire. There have been instances of me writing code for two days straight with less than 2–3 hours of sleep.
Note to self: Slow down.
Yes, I have learned tonnes of new things. But what did I miss? We all have so many blessings in our life. And yet most of the time we fail to notice them. We don’t recognise them properly, forget them, or simply take them for granted. Big mistake.
All along I have been chasing happiness so hard. I have been trying to map out the ideal life. I forgot the small acts of happiness that is happening all around me. That surprise message from an old friend.
That girl who smiled back at you from across the road.
That favorite song playing on the radio.
That deep conversation with your father.
That like from your Facebook crush.
That side seat on a long bus journey.
The free Wi-fi on the road.
The hot coffee on a cold rainy day.
That extra ten minutes of sleep on a cold morning.
Spending time with people in your small or large world.
The smell of a new book. ❤️
A long bike ride with your favorite playlist.
These little details of your life are vital for your happiness. Learn to achieve satisfaction from doing small things. It will change the way you look at life. I’m not giving up on my dreams. I will always follow what is close to my heart and will work hard to achieve what I care for. But It was a life-changing ten minutes that made me think deep and rethink the way most of us live our lives.
Memos by Sooraj 