Page 4 - Al-Rashed Newsletter November 2020

POTPOURRI
LIVING PRECARIOUSLY- THE ECSTASY

Imagine walking on the pavement close to the tracks. As you proceed comfortably, an automobile in full throttle almost
brushes past you, and your balance is upset because of the abrupt swoosh. Turning around, you shower the chauffeur
with expletives, but the vehicle has already vanished into oblivion. You had lived ecstatically and precariously for that
moment, to alert yourself to any such incidents in future.

You try lighting the gas to treat yourself to the morning tea, after that not-so-comfortable shut-eye but doesn’t light up.
Wondering what went wrong, you check for the gas knob, only to find that you skipped turning it off last night. The
acrid smell of gas lingers in the air, and some miracle had ducked the gas from lighting up. Had this lit up abruptly, you
could have ended up as ash in an urn. Another explicit case of living ecstatically and precariously for a moment. You
think twice before you light the gas next time.

The luring aroma of that ripe Alphonso lingering in the air, you try to slice it, firmly gripping it between the left palm and
forefinger. The blade smoothly sinks into and slides down while your spouse urgently wants you to fix that leak in the
drain. Your attention wanes, and the knife whisks past your forefinger nicking it gently. Had it been a bit harder,
the forefinger would have parted ways with your palm. You have lived ecstatically and precariously for that moment
and learnt to shield your forefinger from future ‘nicks’.

You enter the lavatory to answer the urgent call of nature, lip-synching to Bryan Adam’s “Summer of 69” playing in the
soundbar. Oblivious to the blend of oil and body wash leftover by the previous user, you nonchalantly step in. Your
feet loses grip, skiing steadily and fluidly defying gravity until the back of your head hits the floor carpet left hanging for
drying against the lavatory wall. If not for the carpet’s miraculous presence, your skull would have smashed against
the floor. Your subconscious is now encoded to sniff such imbroglios, after having lived ecstatically and precariously
for that moment.

Your eyes eagerly glued to your smartphone, your fingers constantly switch between social media apps checking the
latest social media statuses, while waiting for the lift to open up to take you to the ground floor from the 8th. A minute
later, the lift doors open up, and you get in. The door shuts with a soft thud, and it slides down smoothly, while you
experience the sudden free fall. Minutes pass, and you realize that you haven’t reached the destination. Wondering
what happened, you direct your gaze at the display panel. The no.4 is lit up, and you realize that you are stuck up in
the 4th floor, and the lift doesn’t seem to move. Panic sets in and your respiration are heavy and fast, while you fiddle
with the buttons in the display panel, in desperation. You try to message your friend, but it doesn’t go through. After
hitting at the door yelling for help, you press the alarm. No sooner had you pressed the alarm than the electricity goes
off. Nothing seems to work, and you perspire heavily. An hour passes by, and you feel the abrupt free fall and the lift
moving. You heave a sigh of relief, sensing that the power has been restored. The lift doors have parted ways on the
ground floor, by the time. You had lived ecstatically and precariously for a while, directing your subconscious to be
wary, next time you catch the lift.

Take away: Near miss experiences in life and at work is thrilling, which prompts the subconscious mind to overhaul
oneself.

MR. SUDHEER KURUP
SR. EXECUTIVE, VESSEL AGENCY