The Game of Life

I was browsing through Quora the other day, and this tagline caught my eye "The game is not over until I have won it"...The images that came flashing to my mind was that of a tantrum throwing child, followed immediately by a confident youth...

And then I realised...the impermanence of youth...and how it has more or less passed for me...The past couple of months have shown me how the game can be over when you least expect it...many lives don't even get a chance to play the game, let alone win it...Some have a winning lead, but are forced to quit due to an unexpected turn of events...

Maybe, its the red car syndrome, but the past month saw a friend lose a new born baby, another one lose his wife during child birth and a cousin lose his baby in-utero at 7 months...

My grandmother's brother passed away suddenly due to a massive stroke, and the incidence of memory loss/stroke in my maternal side is scary...All my grandmother's siblings (including her) are suffering from memory loss and there is nothing more painful than to see a loved one unable to recognize you.

There is no magic sauce to win the game of life...as you approach middle age - you would have experienced death in all its comical forms...People whom you thought had the highest potential to succeed, sometimes would have failed miserably - with no hope of future success...Others who were absolute scums - succeed royally...You see, women with potential, being reduced to just care givers for loved ones (nothing wrong in that, but when it is helplessness and not choice, then it hurts to see talent being suffocated by circumstances)...

The other day, I was spring cleaning and found 2 autograph books - one where my teachers had penned their wishes and another where batch mates of the NTSE state camp had penned theirs...As I was smiling through the sometimes naughty wishes - I suddenly came across one penned by a dear teacher (she was just a few years elder to us and more a friend than a teacher) and another by a batch mate whom I didn't quite like during the camp ...both of them are no more..and i realized how precious those words had suddenly become !

And so, yes, the game may be over much before you win it...but as long as you remember, its just a game, you should be fine...

Comments

I was thinking of you when my maternal grandfather started displaying memory loss. Atleast they are surrounded by family and will be taken care of - a luxury that's not available to many.

I have seen how close you are to your grandmother, and am sorry that you are going through this phase where she doesn't recognise you.
Tinkerbells said…
Well, she still recognises me. But forgets the name of her grandchildren sometimes. But yes, I still think of the good old days when she used to cook for me - that is a luxury that will never come back. The mention in the blog was about my grandma's siblings and my worry that she may reach that stage too !

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