Does life happen?

“Yesterday is but a dream, Tomorrow is only a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope.” - Kalidasa

'Sometimes life just happens to you, and you can't dodge it. It crashes into you because it wants to see what you're made of.' - Alexandra Bracken

There are two quotes on life which I hold dear to my heart - Que sera, sera (French for 'What will happen, will happen') and one famous quote by John Lennon, member of the Beatles band - “Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans”.

The latter is one quote which I keep repeating to many people around me and which is the most poignant quote about life, ever. Interestingly, John Lennon was himself shot dead, on 8 December 1980, by a person called mark Chapman in New York, while returning from a recording. His unnatural and sudden death further fortifies his statement that you cannot plan for life because it just happens.

They say that cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties. Life is also a game of uncertainties, glorious or not!

However, this is not to say that you just go with the flow and do nothing. It is existence and not living. The fact is that one has to try to expand one’s horizons but accept what life has given to you. A lot of times, one is the product of the circumstances but in many other situations, we place ourselves in the situations where we find ourselves in.

Life throws a lot of things at you, particularly at times when you least expect them. Sometimes, it is worth to wait for surprises. Which is why they say patience contributes a lot in accepting and living life. Patience is indeed a virtue and we all would do well to imbibe some of it.

However, acceptance is very important because it makes you move forward in life. If you don't accept things, you tend to be caught in a warp. It has happened many a time to me. There are times when I deny happenings around me and try to carry on as if it is status quo. It has dealt a heavy blow to me in later years, to such extent that I have lost myself. The key is to move on. You can never change the past. You make mistakes. But you can do your best to not repeat those mistakes.

Try to see the positive side as much as possible. Easier said than done, though. But, yes, life happens to you. Indeed. Which makes it exciting, actually!

Enjoy every moment. Happiness is just a mindset. Again, easier said than done!

There are many tales told on life and its uncertainties and how we should cope with them. One of my favorites, with a positive twist, is this.

There was a bottle of ghee, which was pondering over how it got there.

"I was safe inside the cow and the humans pulled me out and stored me in a bottle. I was sold for Rs.40/- a litre. My many other milk friends were consumed straight out a bottle. But they took me aside and converted me to curd. From smooth milky white consistency, I became paste like and rough. I was sold for Rs.100/- a litre. While some of my friends were sold, I was again converted into butter, sold for Rs.250/- a kg. However, my trials have not ended. I have now been heated and converted into what they call ghee. The heat was unbearable, I could not handle it. What am I gaining? Why these trials and tribulations for me?"

Just then, it heard someone shouting, "Hey that is pure ghee, it is very costly, Rs.500/- a litre. Place it inside so that the bottle does not break. You broke a bottle of milk in the morning, I was not livid. But ghee is something altogether; handle it with care!'"

Just then the ghee got happy. "Well I was sold for just Rs.40/- a litre and now after undergoing all those trials I am sold for Rs.500/- a litre and I am being preserved more than the other products!"

Well I don't know how relevant that was to this topic, but the more things happen to you, the more you try to face them with a smile as they are all making you like that bottle of milk! You want to become ghee, don't you?