Embracing My Mundane

Mundane things bore people. It bores me. When something becomes a part of my schedule, I lose my enthusiasm for it. That's how I stopped posting here. Because I couldn't keep up the quality of my content every single day as I grew more and more uninterested. But then today, I attended an event. A programme organised by the Indian Medical Association to educate the common folk about basic first-aid treatments. During this programme, the doctor explaining it all to us mentioned a fact that I had heard once and not given much thought to. But it stuck with me today. It stuck like gum on shoe soles. It refused to leave my head even as I walked out of that hall.

When the oxygen supply to the brain is cut off, your body will start to shut down in five minutes. Within the next ten to fifteen minutes, you will be rendered a corpse if you're not given proper medical attention.

And I sat there thinking- fifteen minutes.

It is the time I take to drag myself off the bed and into the washroom to brush my teeth and wash my face every single morning.

It is the time I take to put on my shoes and walk to campus, hand-in-hand with my friends, silly jokes and laughter in the air.

It is the time I take to gather the instant coffee packet, my mug and boiling water to make my evening coffee.

How is it possible that I could be dead in fifteen minutes?

Fifteen minutes is too short. Too mundane. Something that passes right by me every single day. Something I let slip past without a second thought. You're telling me that everything that I am- all my hopes and dreams- every forsaken thought in my head- it can all become nothing in fifteen minutes? That I can become nothing? A nobody? A mere memory?!

Isn't that too jarring? Too dismaying?

Mundane it may be, the time I take to wake up, brush my teeth, get to college, grab a cup of coffee- all of it. Mundane it may be, the time I take to write too. But it's all that I get. It's all that I can have. So I'll embrace it. I'll learn to love it. I'll learn to make it worthwhile.

For mundane is all that I am.

Comments

The Root Cause of my Obsession with Greek Mythology- 'The Song of Achilles'

When most people my age are asked about how they first came into contact with Greek mythology, their answers usually end up being Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson book series. But in my case, it's not that. And I don't necessarily mean this as a flex but what made me fall head over heels for the complex tapestry of Greek mythology is Madeline Miller's (absolutely brilliant writer, she is) 'The Song of Achilles.' And oh man oh man, the way that book is one of the most soul-crushing yet beautiful literary pieces to ever exist on this planet! It's the way you know that the story of Achilles, the famous Greek demi-god, is an absolute tragedy, yet Miller's story-writing skills make you pray to every form of divinity to not let it end so. And I think that's an elevated level of tragic experience to the readers in itself- to know how it ends, to know it's not actually rainbows and unicorns, yet (YET!!) to be forced to wish upon every dying star to save the

Master Your Mind: 5 Techniques To Improve Your Memory

In the vast landscape of our cognitive abilities, memory is a cornerstone, having immense influence over our academic, professional and personal endeavours. The key to having a sharper memory is not merely memorising everything, but rather enhancing our overall cognitive capability by training our minds using various memory techniques. Some of these techniques I practise (or try to practise) include: Mastering Visualization: Imagine a bright pink strawberry, glistening with water droplets. The vividness of this mental image is precisely the potency of our visualization power. This technique involves creating mental pictures that are not only clear but also strikingly memorable. When given the task of remembering items, try to create a sequence of mental images that are easy to recall which will be imprinted in your head. Mnemonic Devices: These devices turn seemingly complex information into easily digestible nuggets. Acronyms, rhymes and associations are included in these devices. For

Stop Silencing and Start Addressing!

Today's blog is once again inspired by a spectacular performance put up by the Malayalam Crew of Theatre No.59 at MCC on Day 2 of the Theatre night. This play, titled 'Rithu', was such an emotional masterpiece that it brought almost the entirety of Anderson Hall (where this event was taking place) to its feet. And God, did even a standing ovation seem far too less of a credit that could be given to the act that was put up on stage. Here, we could see 'Malik', a fifth-grade student from an ordinary working-class family in Kerala, filled with a sense of curiosity about the differences between the male and the female anatomy. When he raises this doubt to his parents, he is shunned and silenced. So he decides to take a peek into the girls' washroom at his school so that he can understand why girls sit down when they pass urine, unlike boys who stand. But he is caught by a teacher of his and is brought to the principal who beats him and shames him, demanding his par

Allow Ann to Babble, Please!

Search This Blog