Stop and Smell the Roses

Talk about generation Y, take out food, instant noodles, life on the move. We seem to be in a real hurry to get somewhere. That's not it...some of us live our life only on the weekends. And the meaning of 'Living the life' means going out for lunch / dinner, partying, shopping, getting away from the city, just lazing around the house or taking care of other chores (very much my life). Are we really 'Living' the life? There are some who are lucky enough to pursue their hobby as a career and there are those who are addicted to the work they do.

People from town are moving to the cities (or other country even) due to job prospects, leading to a lifestyle where they end up living alone (away from the family).  It is important to learn to manage things on your own and this helps.  However, the career driven age is driving out the heritage values that we would have learnt at home.  To take an example, how many of us know to cook everything that our parents knew? We are learning from other mediums but we are losing out on the home touch.

My  grandmother knew how to cook everything on her own. starting from light refreshments, a full meal, sweetmeats, everything. Plus she also knew knitting, sewing, stitching, and other bunch of arts. I understand there are classes and courses available for acquiring such skills but its not the same as learning them from someone at home (things like home remedy for sickness or a secret ingredient in the recipe / best practices etc.).  I was looking for some recipe online today and found this blog which said cook like your grandmother cooked; nice recipes and were well explained.  We have cook books available titled 'Learn to cook like your mother did' and we learn it from a book! We also have pickels and sweets which sometimes have a label or tag - Home made / Just the way mother made it. But is it ever the same?

None of the above is meant to be a criticism but to highlight that in this fast paced age we don't just need to stop to smell the roses but also plant a few flower bushes if possible and water them daily too :)

Here's a quote from the book "The Walter Hagen Story"

You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry. Don't worry.  And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.

 Cheers to Life!