My Daily Ritual

I have a daily ritual that I follow without fail. To cleanse myself of all the unnecessary irrelevant information I keep on soaking throughout the day — I go for an evening walk. Sometimes it is long, often it is very long. I have a super power of walking for hours without knowing where the road is taking me. And it is just me and my reflections about love, life and everything in between.

Yesterday, during my daily walk, I happen to pass by a magnanimous tree which was supposedly 100 years old, and a small board placed next to it to indicate the age. I just stood there for a moment feeling amazed at the beauty of the tree and of each and every leaf on it.

Amidst a sea of green, languishing, healthy leaves, what caught my attention was the tiniest of leaves, golden brown in color and barely able to hold on to the branch. The leaf, fighting against the mighty winds, was on the verge of separation.

A frail brown leaf battling against the mightiest of winds.

And The Stupid Monk believed that life is a battle that is fair and square! (No wonder he is so stupid!)

The wind had been trying everything in its armor to uproot the leaf, but the leaf was just not ready to give up. Constantly flapping yet clinging on to the tree through the tiniest of petiole.

Truth be told, I was hypnotized by the leaf and very keenly observing this battle of the odds. But maybe it was much more than that to me. In that very moment, I did not just see a leaf against a wind — but an ant climbing a hill, a petty peasant holding on to its rights, a Silent Monk against all the odds. I pictured myself, and that each and every moment in my life where I have found myself running against the wind.

I stood there with prayers and hope that the leaf lives on. Every gush of wind would make my heart shrink. Every fighting attempt from the leaf would bring my breath back.

Eventually, it happened what had to happen. A very strong gush of wind and the leaf was detached from the tree. Languishing in the air, swaying like a wave, constantly coming closer to me. I kept looking and the leaf smiled back at me.

Just as it was about to fall on the ground, it hushed pass my ear and in a very happy voice, said the following!

“Try very hard! But even if you fall, fall very gracefully!”

And I smiled instantaneously. I stood there thinking about everything that has been happening in my life recently, and a falling leaf had just taught me everything that I needed to hear.

The story of Nightbirdie a.k.a. Jane Marczewski

As I was still reflecting on the words the leaf had told me, my mind immediately reminded me of ‘Nightbirdie’ a.k.a Jane Marczewski.

Jane was a song writer cum singer, and went by the stage name ‘Nightbirdie’. She was 30, when she appeared on the show America’s Got Talent and mesmerized everyone not only with her voice, but even so with her thoughts. She was battling with cancer that had spread throughout her body and had only 2% chance of survival. What would you say when you have just 2% chance of winning? Here is what she said —

I have 2% chance of survival, and 2% is not zero percent. 2% is something, and I hope people realize how amazing it is.

In that 7 and a half minute YouTube video, every line that she said was a life lesson in itself. With a very glowing face and the most beautiful smile one could ever see, she said —

“It is important that everyone knows I’m so much more than the bad things that happen to me.”

The golden buzzer winner won millions of hearts, accumulated thousands of prayers — only to never come back on that stage again. Her health had deteriorated, and she permanently left her human body on Feb 19, 2021.

Her audition in which she says — “We all are little lost, and its all right.”, has gathered more than 50 million views, and is among the rare videos that deserve all those views and even more. To be honest with you, I have personally watched it so many times, and I find myself teary eyed each time.

Even when she was falling, she did not lose her grace, just like the leaf — imparting valuable life lessons of wisdom and hope. And she continues to live on today through the same.

“You cannot wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.” — Jane Marczewski

When the leaf fell down, there were thousands of other leaves that had already fallen, and were very quietly lying under the tree. Constantly staring at all the fallen leaves and still lost in his own thoughts, The Silent Monk never realized that there is such a beauty even in a fallen leaf.

Realizing it was time to return, he picked up one of the fallen leaves and continued his journey back home reminiscing his favorite lines by Robert Frost — “The woods are lovely, dark and deep..….”

https://medium.com/illumination/devils-failproof-plan-to-destroy-humanity-it-s-no-clickbait-but-is-literally-happening-around-1f0dc9ec53d1

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