Nothing 'Unproductive' About It!



Since the past few days, a walk in the evening has become a daily routine. I find it immensely calming and relaxing. That, it also prevents the inevitable argument between me and my kid when he refuses to start studying at the allotted time, is just an added bonus. 

But today I could not go for the walk. I had to visit the local PO in the afternoon for a parcel that deserves an entire blog for itself. You see, Dad sent it to my address but wrote the pincode of Bengaluru. When it reached Bengaluru, he redirected it to Hyderabad where I live. It reached the transit mail office of Hyderabad. I and my husband made two visits to the PO only to hear that it hasn't arrived there. Then we got a message that the parcel has gone back to Bengaluru. From there it again was redirected to Hyderabad. That the parcel contained food items made it all the more interesting. What a journey it had! Anyways, I went to the PO today to collect it finally. So I had my quota of walking for the day and was feeling really tired in the evening. Hence I decided to skip the walk.

Now that the kid and husband have gone to swimming, I sit in front of the laptop, thinking about what I did today that is worth writing about. I drew a complete blank! It seems today wasn't very meaningful or impactful. It was just a regular day about which there is nothing memorable to write about. 

This brings in another realization. Why do the days have to be 'memorable' or 'meaningful'? Why can't we have a simple day where, nothing remarkable happened, but we were glad that we got through it? I remember a conversation with a friend who is a homemaker like me. She said, "I do all the household chores for the day, and still at the end of the day, I feel like I did not do anything productive." Even I feel like this many times. 

I came across two beautiful quotes today which finally prompted me to write this blog:

Time does not always need to be filled. You are enough, simply in your being. - Jeff Foster.

It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life. - J.R.R Tolkien

Why is this craze to make 'productive use of time', or 'to be' or 'to do' something? Why can't we find happiness in simply being at the moment, not doing anything and yet living it fully! Every day need not be spectacular. Every day you need not do something 'productive' or 'useful'. Somedays, you can just 'be', and find peace in the moment. 

Life is not meant to be rushed by, doing one chore after another until you are tired physically and mentally. Life is to be lived, enjoying the present moment, even if it is nothing extraordinary. It is about finding the extra in the ordinary!

Next time I feel unproductive or as if I did not do anything remarkable in the day, I will remind myself that it was still a day I got to see, and that itself is an accomplishment in this terribly uncertain and fleeting life. 

Dinner beckons, and it is nothing extra-ordinary. Yet, it promises a good time because there is a podcast on happiness that is waiting for me while I prepare the dinner. As I said, it is all about finding the 'extra' in the 'ordinary'!

Live a guilt-free, 'ordinary' life; you are not indebted to do remarkable and memorable deeds, simply living in the moment and experiencing its beauty is enough!

Comments

  1. Latha PrakashOctober 11, 2023 at 8:16 AM

    I feel productivity is overrated. Sometimes we shud just be
    Loved reading friend

    ReplyDelete

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