I’m guilty. I’m guilty of letting my thoughts be somewhere other than where I am. Of allowing myself to drown in an ocean of social media alerts. I’m guilty of being too tired to play.

My children are just 5 and 7 years old. I know very well that in a few years they are going to be more into their friends than me. Right now they actually still want me. I am the number one most exciting thing in their lives. But right now, I’m too busy. Busy doing ‘important’ things like writing this article, having a video meeting, studying something important or even just relaxing and letting steam off. I’m too busy to play.

It’s mad, our human condition. We don’t want what we have now. And what we want, when we get it, we don’t want it anymore. We want something else. Then we want something that we used to have, but didn’t want it so much when we actually had it. What else can I call it other than madness? It’s actually madness of the highest order.

Another madness I’m guilty of is thinking that some future achievement or event can make me feel happier, more satisfied, more peaceful. When I have more money, when my blog is read my a million people, when I am travelling more, and all that. How can an orange become an apple in the future? If I am not able to be happy now, how can I be happy tomorrow? The only chance I have to be happy is now. That’s it, at this very moment.

Right now its 5:43am, we are on a holiday at a hill station called Kothagiri, my wife is sleeping right next to me, the birds are chirping, I am typing, and what else do I need to be happy? But even if I didn’t have all that right now. Even if it had been mid afternoon, mid week, chaos around me, some major goof up at work, forgot about a commitment I had made, and my head going round, even then, the only chance I have of being happy is right then.

If I am not here NOW, and happy NOW, then I am never going to be. NOW is my only chance. It is the ONLY moment. It is the only eternity. Amazingly human beings have the power to leave the now and go somewhere else. It is called reminiscing or fantasising. Both are beautiful and have their place. But life is here and now.