Lost and Found: Of things and people; lessons from Sukhna Lake

Yesterday (August 2016), my late evening lake walk and telephonic rendezvous with a loved one were both cut short by a sudden and swift thunderstorm.

Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh during a foggy winter morn (Photo: Author)

Back to Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh

Back to my favourite place, after a longish hiatus. Hope to be there more frequently.

Lake Lessons from August 2016

Yesterday, my late evening lake walk and telephonic rendezvous with a loved one were both cut short by a sudden and swift thunderstorm. The gusts were, to say the least, furious. My cap flew off, which I was able to retrieve only because it fortuitously got entangled in the twiggy branch of a close-by bush.

I quickly gathered my mobile and the leftovers: the bio-degradable carry-bag and the crumpled wrappers of my Subway sandwich and the empty water bottle (remember Swachh Bharat?) and, of course, my itinerant cap. Thankfully, I was safely in the car before the mild drizzle turned into a torrential downpour.

Enscounced in the satiny blanket, after a welcome cup of coffee, was when I realized that my spectacles were missing. The search at home proved futile. The call to the driver also elicited a “not found” report from the car. It would not have served any useful purpose to trudge back to the lake and try to locate it in total darkness and heavy rain. The best bet was to get up well before daybreak and hope to find it, before anyone else did, under the cabana at the lake, from where the unusually strong, near-gale force winds had unceremoniously evicted me, leaving behind the necessary accessory.

Not to make a suspense of it any longer, I was up at 4.00 AM the next morning and by 4:40 AM I had the elusive pair of spectacles in my hands but not before a few “not-found” scares. It was a little distance away from where I had anticipated it would be. Sitting by the lake in a ruminative frame of mind and seeing the sun rise, I was able to draw (even re-draw) some lessons of life for myself. I share these with you:

• We often lose more valuable things in life when we hanker after less valuable trivia;

• The perceived loss is not about the price; it’s about its value to you;

• What is valuable for you may be of inconsequential value for someone else;

• Things lost may be irretrievable but not be irreparable or irreplaceable but the loss of loved ones is irreparable, irreplaceable and irretrievable;

• We need to tackle the retrieval of the lost things by positive and timely action but a wise man knows when to stop trying;

• Loss is a state of mind; we all eventually get over loss of things and, sadly but true, also over the loss of people.

ANY OTHER LESSONS that you could help us draw? It’s your turn now.