An idle mind is the devil's workshop

Home, Uttarakhand

My grandfather never used to keep us idle when I was a kid. 

He'd keep us on our toes. 

Help him plant a new litchi tree in the backyard of our ancestral home, or watch him create a new loofah out of our tree. 

He used to play with us, watch us dance, or simply watch us play outside in the sun. Getting hurt, crying, and then laughing again was our life's lesson. That was him—my Nana!

As I grew older, I did the same, never remaining idle. I kept myself occupied by attending theatre rehearsals, workshops, and simply hanging out with friends. The lessons changed: playing outside in the sun became a concern, big buildings replaced our little house mini inventions in the backyard, and dancing was no longer an in-house morning ritual but only with friends at the club. As time passed, it became more difficult to get hurt and laugh again. Then came a time when the entire world came to a halt. It took me a long time to realise that I was not the only one sitting idle. I soon realised that the little red devil was inventing its own mini-machines in my idle mind. The devil devised many things, including a piercing loofah that scrubbed my peace of mind, forcing me to listen to all those dark songs that all heartbroken people listen to at some point in their lives, and forcing me to stay in bed and not workout. I saw myself eventually planning how to fight everyone around me, only to end up crying and not laughing again.

Little did I realise that what Nana actually taught was not to keep ourselves busy and running all the time, but to slow down,  to maintain our mental peace and calm That tree was planted solely for the purpose of getting closer to nature and watching our little baby grow. Morning rituals were only intended to brighten the day. Inventions were created to help us express our creative side, live a more sustainable lifestyle, and appreciate the small things in life. He was teaching me to slow down the whole time. Now, whenever my monkey brain hits the accelerator, I try to slow down and remember the great life lesson he made me experience.