School begins today! That is to say, that I turned in early last
night. And that meant, that I missed the 2nd 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 2nd 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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