Life like The Orange Lanterns

Have you ever observed the orange lanterns on a dark festive night, swinging in the winds? Amidst utmost silence, the wind teases its streamers and there goes the lantern flying high. Its as if the dark night romances the bright orange lantern, trying to make it dance with all the heart and soul. And the lantern - on a high, so much in love with the night that it leaves the night powerless, losing its darkness and shine up to embrace the air within itself and fill it up with immense warmth. Looking at it, I can't escape my desire to fly up in the sky, over the mountain tops. I nearly feel the chills within me, with the winds penetrating through each of my senses. They look mesmerizing - beauty at its best. But, to me they are like messengers from the heaven. They always make it a point to teach me something, every time I look at them. I'm in an awe of their beauty and their companionship.

I never thought of really compromising in my life because I grew up with an idea that I shall get all that I deserve and that I shall always get what I want, without realizing the fact that these two situations weren't actually possible in real life. Dreaming was my favourite hobby and to be honest, it still is. Taking life so lightly at every given point of time, has made me learn a lot, that apparently no person would have been able to teach. But, every time I thought I was winning, I had actually lost; so badly that, it took ages for me to recover my losses. Despite that, the one thing that kept me going was a voice that said, “C’mon you are my best kid and I’m sure you can do better”. And then, I actually did.

As years passed by and I grew by one stage in life after another, I constantly got stronger enough than before; more powerful, confident, helpful, understanding and a little more arrogant as well. As I came across different kinds of people on my way, I learnt new things from them. But, each unhappy episode in my life made me more and more reluctant towards human feelings, affection, relations and above all humanity. I slowly started becoming ruthless.

While running a 100 meter race, we begin very enthusiastically, looking around us to see how others started and who among our known people have turned up to cheer us. After the first 20 meters, we realize that the people who came with us were actually looking at other runners and not us. At this stage, we deny to agree that they aren't looking at us out of lack of interest and comfortably believe that they are observing the others out of sheer competition, just to find out how well we will be able to manage to win over them. In the other 20 meters, we experience the actualization of the fact that they were not looking at us for even a while and had ended up cheering the other runners. That's when our heart sinks and we can't figure out the reason behind it. "Had they not come with us? Aren't they supposed to cheer us?". Very unknowingly, by this time, we have covered 40 meters of the race and there are only 60 more to go. The race at this time is at its peak and all the runners are totally charged up (though they also must have gone through the same kind of emotions that we did). From here on we begin to get emotionally stronger and try our best to focus on the target that is set, "our ultimate goal - the finish line". It takes a lot of effort, initially, but we successfully manage to avoid all the sounds that exist in the background and attain silence in the mind. Our mind is then set to focus completely on the "finish line". This struggle to attain focus in the race helps us cover the distance of next 20 meters, taking us to 60 meters. This is then followed by the real successful run, the run for life. Those 20 meters take us to a mark of 80 and we realize that we are then leading the race. We are now so damn close to winning the race. And you actually do. But, you know what, the last 20 meters run takes you back to the square one, which is a serious emotional state of mind. 


In the last bit, you run at a speed your mind cannot measure. Its just the momentum that has been generated in your body and your mind holds no record of it, at all. For you, that time runs in a slow motion when your soul is right outside your actual self looking at you winning the race. But, that's not all. You also see your self alone in the front, followed by only those who want you to lose so that they can win. Thanks to your "trained mind", you have by now detached yourself from the rest of the world and do not hear anyone cheer you or call you by your name. You take no notice of who are with you ready to clap as you run through the ribbon on the finish line. Here, your heart doesn't sink or feel heavy. It just ruins you from within. You realize that all that you did to win the race was in wain because you let go off the people you loved and got so busy in winning that you did not see when they actually turned to you with a magnanimously happy heart to give you a warm hug on your victory and tell you that, "I'm proud of you". 


Such is life.


Even I ran the race and experienced the same things. But, right before the finish life I looked back and saw all that I had given up in the process and wanted it back. I couldn't manage to let the most important people and possessions of my life go away in a wink, just for the sake of winning a race. At that point of time, all I needed was a warm hug, a kiss on my forehead and eyes that told me, "Well done. Are you alright?". 


I won, I got my hug and swore that I shall never let it go away from me, no matter what.


Honestly, I still don't compromise in life. But, I have learnt to value the people who have made me what I am, people who held my hand every time I needed to walk, who ran themselves to teach me how to run, who laughed in their pain if I got scared and above all, who spent their selfless life just to see me smile.


They are so like the orange lanterns lit in a dark festive night, fluttering in the wind. Bright, beautiful, calm and so full of love. Yet, powerful enough to take you through the toughest times in your life, giving you a brilliance of festivity in the darkest of nights. They make me gaze at them for hours, singing, "these are the few of my favourite things".


- Copyright @ Pie