Parathas and Meditation

School begins today! That is to say, that I turned in early last night. And that meant, that I missed the 2^nd qualifier match of the IPL 2025 between PBKS and MI! And then, with the morning rush being what it is, I got no time to find out who the winner was! So, from 5am to 7am (which was the time I was engaged in the frantic activity necessary to get a high schooler to school on time), I was blissfully unaware that –

A. a. PBKS has won the 2^nd Qualifier and entered the final; and, that

B. b. Tomorrow, after the Final match of the IPL 2025, no matter which team wins, a brand-new IPL Champion will have lifted the trophy!

Talk about the underdog making it to the big leagues!

And to think that I missed the one thing I did not want to miss! (Facepalm)

But this got me thinking – and is the reason you are reading this.

As I sat there later in the morning, sipping my tea, checking the newspaper for the details of the match I had missed, I realised, that though I have followed the IPL through this season, and though at the back of my mind, I kept wondering who the winner would be when I went to bed last night, and even wondered, briefly, about it after I woke up today morning, I still went about my morning, not actually knowing it. I was okay not knowing it while I had other things on my mind, when my hands were full of the tasks I had to finish in the morning. When the only thing I thought about, was the parathas I was busy making, and all I saw then, was the ticking kitchen timer!

The thoughts about the Final, and the excitement of finding out about the winner of last night’s match, thought present, were somewhere at the back of my mind where mostly such not-important-in-the-moment things are relegated to. And what’s more, I was able to hold it at bay till it was time for me to sit down with a cup of tea and the newspaper when I finally found a moment to myself later.

Of course, once I got into it, I read all about the amazing match it had been – started late, (was almost called off, in fact), and then went on to become a smashing cracker jack of a match! I am yet to watch the highlights (waiting for my highschooler to get home so I can do that with him), so I will not say much about that; but here’s what I kept thinking –

There is much talk now, about meditation and mindfulness. We think we know what someone is saying when we hear them talk about living in the moment, and yet, how many of us really feel it? Although, and this might come as a surprise, we all live it every day, even if it is just for a few moments, few minutes, or just for a few hours at a time.

But think about it, really, think of the time, when you are not actively thinking about anything specific – rather, you are not aware of what you are thinking at all – because your mind is engrossed in some activity, and tell me how liberating that is! No thinking, so no over thinking, and so, obviously, nothing to panic about, or worry about! Just pure bliss in the oblivion. Until you are ready to take things on, on your own time, and at your own convenience.

And this I feel, is just another type of meditation. Because meditation, as I understand it, is something that helps one create a distance between oneself and one’s thoughts; and while that can be done by sitting cross-legged, with one’s eyes closed, chanting a mantra of one’s choice, concentrating on one’s breath, it can just as well be done by letting oneself be taken over by the flow of one’s work. I have come to see that either works equally well. Just so long as one can create the space one needs to breathe, calm down, feel free to disengage, and thereby become ready to engage, and take on the world once again at a later time.

So, the next time you are thinking of meditation, don’t think of the incense, and the right mood, and the right atmosphere, just get into some serious work, or pick up a book and get engrossed in it, or just plain, get into the kitchen and make those parathas. Just so long as you make sure you give it all you’ve got!

And as for the IPL, I will be watching the match tomorrow, completely mindfully, letting myself get engrossed in it. So, be sure to be there with me, and we can all meditate over the Final!

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