The Bucket List

I happened to visit a city hospital a couple of days back. There I saw all grades of people who had come from far and wide. Near the registration counter was a corridor, which was full with poor and underprivileged people from remote villages. They along with their family and luggage were lying down like herds. Pain was scattered all over in the form of grieves and mourns. All this made me really disturbed.  The sight was just poignant enough to make my heart long to fly away and go back to my comfort zone.

My eyes were rolling from one family to the other, when I saw a small girl of about twelve. Looking at her I thought, how rude sometimes god becomes to humanity. The girl was lean and bald. Sitting in a battered frock with her hands clutching her belly, she was yelling with pain. There was an old lady, probably her granny, sitting beside her. Stroking her hand gently against her granddaughter’s head, arms and stomach, she was trying hard to conceal her impuissance. People were passing by, busy with their own troubles. Doctors too were engaged with their schedules. I wished I could be of some help to that child. But it was time. I had to go.

I left the place with a very heavy heart. On my way back home, those pitiful sights were hovering over my head. I could now do nothing more than blame the destinies of those unfortunate people, who are forced into such incapicated situations and in dearth of money, education and power their conditions remain almost stagnant throughout.  Time and again I was comparing our lives to theirs. Not that we never fall ill. But the difference is, we belong to that blessed lot in which the factors like money, awareness etc. almost never come between our health and happiness.

We who have an access to TV, internet, iphones and n number of electronic gadgets, and above all, to fun, freedom and almost everything we can need for a good life, should thank god for the same.

I recently came across a sweet little girl, who was filling her ‘bucket list’. There she had included all that she wanted to do before she died. Topping the list was the wish that she wanted to have the greatest number of Barbie doll collection ever. That was sweet indeed!

While browsing the internet I came across a number of bucket lists. It’s definitely a great idea to have such a list. I too have one. We must feel the beauty of our lives. We must feel that we are not deprived like the ones I mentioned in the beginning. We must feel the gift of life that we have. We must realize the fact that we are the blessed ones. We have just one life. We must learn to love our lives. We must learn never to bring the bruising feelings of hatred, grudge and every such harmful feeling that can stain our colourful lives with dark specks. We must raise a toast and say ‘Cheers’ to our lives.

Let all of us make a bucket list with most beautiful things we want to do before we die. But do not forget to keep the point – I WANT TO LIVE BEFORE I DIE.