THE PAUSE, FULL OF LIFE

 

 

The sound of buttons clicking and printer's printing filled the atmosphere. People in white shirts and black pants roam around. Like robots programmed to finish their work in time. About 500 employees sit in their cubicles, burying their heads in a never ending pile of work. They have only one intention - I have to do ton order to get promoted and earn more money. This simple yet effective mindset made these employees sacrifice their own ideas. It made them program their brains to focus on being the best in their job from a very early stage in their lives. The idea of life as a race acts as blinders to a horse. It devoid you from pausing and looking back. It propels you only forward, reacting only to the jockey's instructions. Bruce had the blinders on since his childhood days. Now, to work hard for your boss and be competitive is embedded so deep in his mind that even without the blinders, his mind does not waver from the rat race.

Bruce is one of the thousands of employees in his office. From a very young age his parents taught him one thing. " Think of life as a race my son, if you pause even for a second, millions of people will cross you. So be hardworking, diligent and punctual. The race of life is won by people who work hard continuously. Others just fly by… lost in a mob of millions. " Bruce never doubted these words by his parents. To become a name written on concrete rather than a name written in sand, he worked hard in his office. He got promoted earlier than his other colleagues. He could feel the jealousy and anger in the vicinity of his colleagues. No matter how big the smile on their faces were. The whole office was like a bucket full of crabs, stopping one another from emerging on the top. The bigger you are, more the number of claws that drag you down. And Bruce was as big as he could at this stage of his life. He only had a one track mind. To be the best was his only option.

One day, in his race of life, he had to take a pit stop. After not taking a single leave for almost 3 years of joining this company, he had to break the streak as his dad got sick. He took the leave of 3 days and traveled as fast as he could to his parents house. Reaching the sub-urban, he noticed something totally different than his normal day-to-day city life. The air was cleaner, the sky had mountains and river gracefully painted on it. Not a single skyscraper interrupted the view. Life moved slower and was peaceful here than the hectic and rumbling life of the city. After checking up on his dad and receiving confirmation from his doctor that he is fine and will become normal soon, he was ready to return to his race as soon as possible. He called his office and informed about his early return, skipping one day out of three days leave. " Well we already have sanctioned you 3 days and to change that in the registry is a hassle. So don't worry, and take the extra one day off." This one day was going to be a blessing in disguise for him.

In his extra one day of leave, he decided to roam around the sub-urbs. He saw a road climbing around a huge hill which intrigued him . So he took that road and went up . Upon reaching the end of the road, he was on the summit of the hill, even above the clouds. The view was breathtaking. The air was serene and devoid of pollution, it rejuvenated his lungs. He felt lighter and calmer. The atmosphere around him was quite and humble. He sat on a rock, facing towards the beautiful scene of clouds moving below him. His ears and eyes suddenly started feeling lighter. As if someone removed his blinders. A strong gust of wind welcomed him to the summit. His ears were introduced to the soft sound of wind for the first time. It's amazing how these soothing sounds are always with us. But we never tend to experience them because of the storms in our brain. He lies down under a tree in complete peacefulness and turns his head to find something very unexpected.

Just right around the corner of the hill, a beautiful girl in white gown was sitting. Her eyes were big and had a calmness to them. Her hair long and dark, flowing effortlessly with the wind. Her face like something out of a fairy tale. Bruce's legs suddenly lost the connection with his brain. It started walking towards her. His heart fluttering, he sat beside her and said, " Miss, aren't you cold? Should I give you my jacket? The thing you wearing, I don't think it can keep out the chilly winds here." She looks at Bruce, and smiles. Then she continues to stare into the void without uttering a word. Normally Bruce is awkward, shy around females. He always had a problem of not able to hold a conversation with females. But this situation was different. Even if she is just smiling and not saying a word, he was surprisingly open and fearless to talk to her. As if words automatically flowed through his mouth. " Hi I am Bruce. I hope you ain't here to do something bad, like jumping off the cliff, are you? " She giggled and shook her head in denial. "Well today was the day I thought of going back to my life in the city. But lucky me, I decided to stay and met you here." Bruce cringed at his own pickup line but the girl gave him a warmer smile this time. A strong gust of wind makes him crumble into his jacket. That's when, with the swooning sound of the wind, he hears her voice for the first time, " Why were you going back a day early? You should respect the 3 day leave you got." It was like music to his ears. He replied, " Umm… well why to waste time when you can work and get closer to your dream. " She looks at him, straight in his eyes this time, " What's your dream then? " He hesitates for a second and finally come up with an answer he thought was perfect. " To win this race of life. To be at the top and make myself remembered even after my demise. " She turns her head towards the sky above her head and says. " You are right now at the top, isn't it lonely here?" Bruce too turns his head upward looking at the sky. " Yeah it is. But that's the spot we work so hard for. People only remember who is at the top. Otherwise you become somebody that people only used to know. The race of life is hard and fast. If you can't cope up, you loose." She giggles at his answer and looks at him. He feels her gaze towards him and turns towards her to meet her eyes. " What if life is not a race? Life is more like a marathon? Yes the person who comes first is rewarded, but every person who completes it is acknowledged. In a race, you cannot pause for even a second. In a marathon, a right time pause can make you propel even further. If you keep speeding up to your goal, the small, beautiful moments of happiness gets lost in time. And when you finally reach the summit, there will be people below you, praising you, but it will still be lonely. If your life is a book, think how it will look without a pause. Without commas and full stops. It will be a mess. Life is not meant to be a race. It's more like a marathon. Some people finish it, some don't. Some charge in to be first. Some are just happy to finish. So don't be so serious about life. Everyone is congratulated on finishing a marathon. Pause for a bit, enjoy life, make memories and do things your way. Life is a story. So remember to use commas and full stops. Pause is the essence of life." Every word by her enlightened Bruce's heart. He starts to remember all the occasions he missed, all the pauses he omitted in life. Only to reach the summit, all the memories he could have made, were gone. His way of life made him miss the most beautiful of moments his life offered him to enjoy. " Wow. My eyes only saw the future and my present slowly turned to past. I was so focused on reaching the summit that I ignored to enjoy the journey. You really opened my eyes. At least tell me your name or some way to contact you. I guess I can learn so much from you." He smiles as she blushes. " My name. Well I don't have one. People call me silence or tranquility though. If you want to contact me again, just find me in places where you hear silence. You cannot find me in chaos. But I am always listening to you and your thoughts. People say silence is the best listener. I only speak what's in your subconscious mind. So all this is what you experience not me." Bruce eyes widens as he starts processing what she said right now. " Ahh.. if you don't want to tell me your name, it's fine. You don't have to make an unbelievable story for it. I lived my life with a single stage ideology of life being a race. Never a single thought of pausing came to my mind. How can you say what you said are all my thoughts?" She looks down and explains, " Bruce, in your mind you were crystal clear. But in your subconscious mind, the body was demanding a pause. This is not a conversation between me and you. It's a conversation you are having with yourself. Silence is always the medium for introspection. Otherwise how would I know that you had 3 days leave? You never told me. You are just sleeping in this beautiful place. Your mind and subconscious mind are having a little chat to direct you. This is how a right time pause can transform you. Now wake up and watch the beautiful sunset with your own eyes." As soon as these words graced his ears, he woke up, alone, laying down comfortably under a tree. In front of him, was an amalgamation of red and blue sky with the sun setting taking the center stage. " Well I guess silence did made me pause for this. I am glad I finally paused. "He stares into the setting sun. Smiling, ready to take on life with a new prospective and a slight pause, cause life happens when we stop and admire.