Rise again

Drop 1

Osira stood at the edge of a cliff with her toes eager to take off. She could feel the wind sustaining her intention on her back. No shivers. No fears. Afterall, the wind could not be wrong. Her long black tresses curtained her face like a head covered before an execution. Whispers in the wind sang out to her and called her names for being a coward... in good humour of course. The dark curtain on her face hid a smile that screamed of dares and adventure. She was about to listen to her friend – the wind.

She nosedived. Neck cracked.

Blackout.

Drop 2

The wind was still calling her names while she stood delicately this time. The face was still curtained behind her wildly flowing locks. No smile.

The toes were curled and firmly gripping the edge. ‘Osira, you nitwit! Don’t you believe in anything I say?’ howled the wind. She slapped her back strongly against the wind. A broken neck was her recent trophy. With clenched fists and rehearsed dynamics she jumped.

Got swept away and hit a rock. Broke her legs.

Bloodied vision.

Drop 3

The wind felt somewhat stronger now. Not that it was. ‘There has to be a better way’, thought Osira. She leered over with her head hung low - trying to map her way down. Blood trickled down her hair. She loved watching the drops fall and disappear after a while.

The wind cackled and gave her little nudges this time. It was delightful to watch.

She had to figure it out right away. Flung herself over.

Crash!

Drop 4

This needs a strategy. There’s definitely a better way to do this. Osira is sitting with her legs dangling from the edge of the cliff. Stooping and wondering. There has to be a better way.

The wind’s name-calling is mere noise now. She is swaying with it. It soothes her muscles and numbs her pain.

She is observing the blood trickle down and disappear.

‘There is a better way’, thinks Osira while she is waiting to heal.

*

*

*

The Coward's Little Jig

I cannot stand anyone less than a champion.

It’s a bold statement to make but true and I drew these words out of my hilt while meaning every bit of it. For me, champions are the ones that rise out of dust and shine like gold. Champions wear their hearts on their sleeves to terrify cowards who fear to show their own. Champions cry their fears out and waste no time in lament henceforth. They drive their thresholds to peak each day of their breathing existence. They have nothing to hide and are shrouded in their nakedness. They have scars. They have wounds. They have fought.

Cowards, on the other hand, will hide. Hide behind excuses. Hide their tools of torture. Hide the tools that shaped them...into cowards. They have secrets. They have reasons for not being there. A reason for each day, each moment and each millisecond of their pathetic existence. They have reasons why one should have a reason for the sky being blue. They need proof and evidence because they are too scared to believe.  This is my ode to all those cowards who take pride in the stop signs that halted them in their tracks.

You can’t change them because they lack belief. Do not try to make their lives better because that will never happen. They have given up and do not possess the will to rise. Masochists in true nature who enjoy their pain and writhe in misery. They fear to allow anyone else the luxury of hurting them and self-inflict themselves to torture of a different kind. The world is onto them and will never allow them to emerge as winners. They believe winning is for losers – there’s no need to make an effort. Tears and begging don’t work on this kind because their hearts are safely locked somewhere deep inside, catching dust and turning into stone. Some might have even thrown their keys away. Black holes of every human effort that will just take and give nothing in return.  All of this and more makes them a true spectacle worth ignoring. Ignore the minute you sense a coward near you. Run for your life the minute you sense their presence and never look back. Take my two pennies worth of advice and avoid a coward the minute you sniff its stale presence. It’ll save you a lifetime worth of happiness and effort that's better put to something far more productive.

Because, seriously I cannot stand anyone less than a champion!

Life Lessons Leading To Nowhere

#458:  Do not crap where you eat!

Yes. If you love the hygiene of your deeds as much as the deed itself, draw borders. Don’t let it infect your sanity with conundrums polluting your way of life. And the consequence? You end up looking for a new place to squat every time. Geez! Save yourself the effort. Isolate your dining areas. (If you know what I mean!)

#45: The temperatures remain the same. Thresholds increase.

Remember how people give examples of babies learning from touching hot objects where they would never touch it again after the first burn. I say that’s just a whole load of crap. The first burn just pushed your threshold levels to a whole new level and you didn't even realize it. Burns are good and you will get burnt every time. But that's no reason to stop playing with fire. Wear your scars like accolades. They push you to a whole new level. 

#136: Travel Light

Easier said than done. There’s always something on the way that just can’t be left behind. But trust me on this one. There is nothing that can’t be left behind. Give away stuff. Donate some. Dispose off the baggage. Make room for the next lot. There are always a lot more places to cover! The bag will never get empty. Just lighter.

#3: Lessons always have newer editions

Change the covers. Improve the style. The core idea may stay the same. They sometimes may not. But that’s the best part about learning new lessons. You’ve always got to unlearn. Revamp models. Jazz it up with the latest!

#860: There’s always a better dress

Go on an impulsive buying spree. You like it. Buy it! Wear it with all you can afford and see how it goes. There will be prettier ones down the line. But that’s for another day. Remember, lessons need to be revamped.