The only thing certain about life is death ...

We go through life as though we will live forever, as though we are invincible. But the only thing that is certain about life is death. This is the truth for all people, no matter who they are and where they live.

And yet in our living, we rarely think about our own vulnerabilities or the fact that our last day, last moment, last breath may already be here.

We seldom take the time to appreciate the sunrise and acknowledge the joy of seeing another day. We do not think that this present moment that you are spending with your loved one, could in fact be the last one – here on this earth, and maybe forever.

We are often so caught up in our own lives, in our own problems and challenges, in our own belief systems and thought processes, in our own righteousness. We live our lives believing in our indestructability – or not even thinking about it at all. We rarely think of life as a gift – a blessing – and an opportunity to actually try and get out of the wheel of the samsara.

For those of us who have actually thought about death – I am sure that we would like to hope that when the time comes for us to pass, it will happen at a far off day, in a warm bed and surrounded by loved ones. We would like to believe that we are ready to go, that we have finished all our unfinished businesses. That we have lived a happy and satisfying life and we are ready for the ‘great move on’.

However, death can catch up with us at the most unexpected of times and places. It is not always the old who are the first to go. Accidents, natural calamities, health calamities such as heart attacks and strokes, boulders falling on people etc – are common occurrences and they do not differentiate between the young and the old. ‘Time and tide wait for no man’, so said Shakespeare – and many times it is also the young people who have to make the early exit.

And when it is time to go, you are alone. You cannot take the possessions you have accumulated over your lifespan. And despite the number of friends you may have made or the large extended family that you may have, when the time comes to walk across the realms – you have the make this journey by yourself.

And that is why I feel it is so important for everyone to occasionally reflect on life and on death. To try not take life for granted but rather to take stock of how you are living and to try and life in a way that you will have no regrets.

And for that you don’t need to make the dramatic changes – just try and live one day at a time  - be the best person that you can be - be good, be kind, be compassionate - so that every evening when you go to bed and you reflect on your day, you are satisfied with the way you have lived the day.

Cumulatively, these individual days will become a life well lived.

"I wandered lonely as a cloud
that floats over vales and hills..."

were the words that came across my mind as I was driving towards Sibsoo from Samtse town. Emerald green were the terraced fields of rice and small were the houses with their open verandas. Dark green trees lined the sides of the gently winding road. The sky was clear and blue. Stray clouds  - soft white cotton puffs floating in the sky in isolation as though suspended in time and space.

And as I wandered lonely as a cloud over the hills and plains, I had the opportunity for some reflection on life. 

And it was liberating, it was joyful.

Surrounded by such beauty, I felt utmost blessed to be a born in this incredible nation of ours.

Life is a journey, not a destination

This is one advice my father often gives me. When I am rushing through life and trying to get everything done, he says life is a journey and not a destination. Try and enjoy the little moments – for it is ultimately these moments that we will remember and cherish.

Yesterday, some friends and I were on our way down to Phuentsholing from Thimphu and down the Chukha road, which I remember in my childhood calling the ‘snake road’ – due to the winding and never ending curves. Small waterfalls were flowing at the side of the road and further down the valley a number of mountains, greens of different shade, were rolling into each other, enveloped by soft white clouds.

We continued our journey, winding down the Thimphu-Phuentsholing highway through changing vegetation and passing by small landslides and fallen boulders. As we passed through Gedu the air became heavier and we were surrounded in mist. Thick shrouding mist – greyish white all around - we could barely see 10 feet ahead of us.

Just when I thought that our journey would be likewise gloomy all the way to Phuentsholing, we arrived at Jumja – the unstable stretch of land where landslides often obstructs the journey of many travellers. I have travelled on the highway many times, but it was my first time being awed by the magnificence and splendour of the scene.

The sky was serenely blue – stretching all the way across the plains where it seemed to shimmer and blend into the horizon. Below in the valley, a soft milk-white blanket of clouds covered the plains and puffed all the way into the distance. Blending with the blue, some clouds above were swirling and it was as though a whirlpool of white on a blue canvas.

I was above the clouds and I was below the clouds – I was in the clouds.



It was no longer important why I was going down to Phuentsholing. Or what I was leaving behind in Thimphu. It was just me and the wide expanse of the sky. Me and the embrace of the clouds. I felt free – simply enjoying the moment for what it was.

And in that moment I recalled the words of my father – that life is a journey and we must try and enjoy it to the fullest.

Silent voices

In the darkest of the night
the only sound there is –
is the silent voices in my head

Far from continuous drone of TV
and idle chatters
Away from the bustle of life
and trivial matters

In the dark of the night
it is just me
and the silent voices in my head

Voices that speak loud and clear
that weigh my thoughts
and every action
that weigh my deeds
and every inaction.

So no matter to it all
the friends and the work
and the business of everyday living

In the end it is the silent voices
that I must reckon with
in the blackest of the night.

It has been so many months since my last entry. Somehow time seems to just fly by. I got caught up in my day to day activities and despite my efforts to write on a more regular basis - I somehow forgot to write. I even forgot that I had a blog!

Its good to be back again though. Good to be in a place where I can occassionally pen down my thoughts and reflect on my life and write about the things I see around me and what they make me feel.

Its been great to look back at my past entries and to see the things I felt at a certain stage in my life and think about where I'm heading. Very often we are so busy - just moving without taking the time to reflect or think about wh ether we are truly happy about where we are going. So that me for today - just reflecting....