Good morning friends
In the last 2-3 months, after the corona restrictions have been lifted, there has been a flurry of weddings and parties and family functions. Almost all of us have been attending such functions at least 4 to 5 times in a month. We all know that it takes a lot of efforts to arrange a big event like a wedding or a party, it requires a lot of planning, a lot of administration, a lot of coordination between different workers….. all in all, a lot of time and energy is utilised for arranging a function, be it big or small.
But in the last couple of months, I realised that even to attend such functions on a regular basis needs a lot of work. First of all you have to find time in your busy schedules, adjust your schedule for important functions, and then of course, we have to start preparing for the event itself. It involves so many factors like choosing what you are going to wear…. In case of ladies, this takes even longer than gents generally, because you have to decide on the jewellery and accessories,hairstyle and the footwear and the make up if you are using any. All in all, I think it takes at least an hour for the preparations each time. Of course, this is assuming that you are very well organised. If you’re not so well organised, it may take even longer for these preparations. Then of course the question of the travel time …. Especially if the venue is far from your place, the traffic , the parking if you are taking your own vehicle, ….the issues are unending.
And you must not forget that after you come home, you have to put back every thing in its place, get things cleaned . And all this is basically to show your best face to the World ! So, for the younger generation, the time element involved is probably much longer, perhaps starting with a visit to the parlour a few days in advance or buying a new outfit altogether according to the ‘dress code’ suggested in the invite !
Most of the times, when you attend such functions, it’s an occasion to socialise, to meet your family or old friends, exchange what is happening in your life and generally enjoy yourself, enjoy the good food and the decor and have fun. At times, however, it’s a social obligation which you cannot avoid.
As I sat back, thinking about all the functions which I attended in the last three months, I realised that most of the time our emphasis is on our external appearances; obviously more so in case of ladies, but these days gents are no exception ! This means that we spend a lot of time, energy and efforts in taking care of our external appearances, of how we present ourselves to the world. Nothing wrong in that. Obviously, whenever we take efforts with our looks, glance into the mirror, give ourselves a smile, and a beautiful reflection smiles back, we do feel happy, don’t we ?
But then, I started thinking….do we take the same efforts with our inner selves?
Just as we spend time, energy and efforts in creating a beautiful exterior, do we give at least a part of that time or energy to nourishing our inner selves? Do we focus on making just our exterior beautiful , or do we take care of our whole being too ? We paste a smile on our lips, but does that smile come from the depths of our being ? We appreciate the hosts for their hospitality but do we really mean our words ? We utilise a lot of energy in presenting our external beauty, but do we use the same energy to become more kind, more compassionate, more loving?
A point to ponder, isn’t it?
I hope we all can spend at least a fraction of our time, energy and efforts to beautify our inner being, our souls and become beautiful in the true sense of the word.
Love
Anjali Bhatawdekar
