Life is calling, where are you?

Remember the Smirnoff advert? A masked lady sensuosly beckons with her finger a man peering down from a high window....and the ad says....Life is calling, where are you?

This ad. line did a lot for me.

The first time I heard the line (About 10 years back), I felt a stirring in me.....where was I? The sidelines? Just watching while the world moved on! What was my contribution? The ad did wonders for me by making me question my role, my existence, my lifestyle, my wishes, my dreams, my physical appearance, my growth. It was my first true awakening....

I had had a bad traumatic sciatica and a traction a year before that incident, and that had made me a couch potato. I would not do any physical activity out of fear. And then one day, as I sat watching TV, this lady asked me so many questions with just one line.

Life is calling, where are you meant;

Q. Do you want to just sit there brooding while the world goes by?
A. No, I want to be part of it.

Q. You are not fit, what are you going to do about it?
A. I am going to do something better than just warming the sofa. (I started going for walks)

Q. You are not reading nowadays as much as before, why?
A. I started reading in the train on my way to the office.

Q. So when are you going to start reading those positive attitude books?
A. He...he gotcha.....I meant Erma Bombeck, P.G.Wodehouse and Bill Cosby - I have finished reading most of their books now!

Q. What did you learn?
A. Erma Bombeck taught me that a 'soap' should not be saved just because it has a good shape. Put it to use and enjoy the beauty of the suds that slip away. I now don't store beautiful crockery for the guests - I use them up for us. When something breaks, I don't really mind because I know it has served me well, and that the time for it to go has arrived! She taught me to 'let go'. It is the best way to relax. What happened to the stress? Ask him!!

Bill Cosby taught me that age changes perceptions - just be open to accept age gracefully but don't start giving messages to your body parts that they need to stay put and out of work, and you will never grow old in your heart and mind. [OK! I am half his age :)]

P.G.Wodehouse........He taught me to laugh, laugh, grin and look silly in public. I can't count the number of times when I had been reading a wodehouse on my way to work in the local train, and caught people looking at me weirdly when I would look up to check the station, and then suddenly realised that OMG! I am grinning again :). Don't worry about what others think - it honestly is of no consequence!

The other day, someone mentioned how much I have changed over the years - for the better, of course! It set me thinking - I have this habit of analyzing things a lot! It comes from a conscious effort I made after that ad. to be responsible for my acts.

This helps me to better myself and - as Gandhiji observed - 'Become the change you want to see'. That does not mean I am perfect - amply supported by the fact that I do not go the gym. as regularly as I should, and allow the blogging time to run beyond the set time etc.

That line made me change in these ways:

I want the world to be a clean place - I do not litter and don't mind picking up litter dropped by others;

I do not want drainage or choking problems during the rains - I don't use plastic bags;

I do not want to be part of unnecessary killing of animals - I am vegetarian and I have stopped using leather, silk and the like.

I decided long back that I won't lead my life by diktats, I dare to live with ideals!

There may some unavoidable wrongs I indulge in, I do not do it consciously. One doesn't have to discover new things, invent a new gadget, lead the country, or be brilliant or achieve fame. It's great if you are doing those things, of course, we need people doing that too! Irrespective of all that one needs to get in control of one's own life - live the change you want to see!

Take steps to save Earth today - adopt just one right practice for a year. Follow it resolutely, and make it a habit.

Make the change happen by living it!