Hi reader

One of my colleagues and a good friend is moving to Canada, and we recently had his farewell. I have seen many farewells, but there’s none like this one. It was as simple as it could be, yet so special. He has been working here for over 11 years and worked with almost every team and project here. What this means, he has a connection with everyone. Apart from the professional connection, the emotional and personal connect that develops over time. I remember he told me that he would be spending time on his last week here with the different teams he has worked with. 

When people ask what difference Work from Office brings, this is the difference. The connection between people, the laughs, stress, and the parties, or simply the tea, could never develop working remotely. I’m not against it, but this physical connection is something that will always be missing in the online world. How it changes life? Well, at his farewell, people were silent, not just because they are hesitant to speak but at times there are no perfect words. Or, the throat just goes numb. Mind is picturing all the memories made together, and finding words to describe them, but the heavy heart just makes the throat numb. This is the change that it brings to life. 

There’s one ultimate truth, that no matter how hard we try, but just can’t escape. We are here for a limited time, and there will come a day for all of us when we will have to leave everything and go away. We will leave all our belongings, all our savings and fortune, all of our memories, all of our experiences, all of our loved ones, and all of our enemies behind, and go. Ironically, we don’t even know when. The biggest part of our life is the most uncertain thing of our life as well. Are we ready for that moment? In our upbringing, we are never prepared for that moment. 

We start our careers with dreams, and on the journey, we meet people. Some carry along nicely, while with some it is rough. We do make some of those dreams come true. But in all this journey, we often tend to get so busy with life, that we miss or intentionally skip some things, giving random excuses. We lose the touch with our friends, saying they have changed, or why not they take the initiative; we skip the chances of getting clarity, saying things are too tight and don’t have time for it.. if it is in destiny it will stay; we get so busy with life and work, that miss to enjoy it. Not everyone is a traveler and should go on a vacation to enjoy, but there’s something for everyone, to enjoy.

“Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.”

John F. Kennedy

There are a few books that talk about these moments and a few I liked reading namely, Tuesday with Morrie, Have a Little Faith, and The Last Lecture. One thing common about these books or stories was a terminally ill person planning and living his last days. It might sound terrible or depressing to read such stories, but they were true stories, and so is the emotion in them, and most of all, these are the most positive books I have read. These people have shared their understandings and learnings which might have come after they heard about their illness, or in other words when they got to know, that the time’s near and they are almost there! A few of the most simple and powerful things that they talked about in their final days, and the importance of it, which I can never forget, I would like to share:

• Forgiveness
  Life happens to us, it makes us do things we never wanted to do. We need to forgive ourselves. For all the things we didn’t do. All the things we should have done. You can’t get stuck on the regrets of what should have happened.
  
• Let it go
  It is easy to hold on to grudges, but you can’t breathe, if you won’t exhale. Don’t let go too soon, but don’t hold on too long.
  
• Speak the unsaid words
  There is no such thing as ‘too late’ in life. A mother only knows that the child is hungry when they cry. So, it’s better to spill the things, than hold them inside.
  

“You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously. You will find peace not in denial, but in victory.”

J. Donald Walters

Have you ever felt like a big burden of holding something inside, and when you expressed it, how lighter it felt? Like freedom which comes with expression. A feeling where the body is relaxed, the breaths are lighter, more in sync with nature, and peace of mind. 

As we grow, and with the changing times, we are often taught or we learn by ourselves what things are necessary for the uncertainties in life, like buying good health insurance, and term insurance, making an emergency fund, different types of funds, retirement planning, and much more. All these are good and should be talked about even more, including the talks about what should be done if someone has to take a call about the other’s health in the family. This is creating a new, secure, and aware society. 

However, there are still a few gaps. We do have talks about the financial burdens and planning, but what about the emotional burden? Should a person, in a moment of uncertainty, go with an emotional burden? If a person gets to know he only has 15 minutes, should he get anxious about all the things he wanted to do, all the things he wanted to say, and what others may have wanted to say to him, or should he be happy about the life he lived, the people he loved, be thankful for all the love and respect he got, proud of the things he was able to contribute for? I don’t wish for this, but if the next 15 minutes are the last 15 minutes, what will you be doing?

Give it a thought!
– Navneet