‘What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.’

The poem ‘Leisure’ by William Henry Davies was a part of our English syllabus in Grade 3.

I loved the poem, mostly because of how it rhymed and because of the imagery it created.

I understood what it tried to portray, that people are so busy with their lives that they often forget to notice the beauty that Nature has to offer. What I didn’t understand was how it applied to me.

As an 8 year old at that time, I often played outdoors with my friends. A hybrid Hibiscus and pretty ladybugs fascinated us. We had a blissful childhood, no worries and the word ‘busy’ seldom applied.

But basically, the point being, I did stop and stare. I was friends with nature. So the poem seemed theoretical and unbelievable then.

Fast forward twenty years filled with stress, exams, successes and failures, changing friendships, new responsibilities, taxes, future goals both personal and professional, and I wasn’t that girl anymore.

It took a major irreparable loss and this pandemic to help me find her again.

I now stop and stare, I reflect and am grateful for what I have and for who I am.

I have let the mistakes of my past go, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t learnt from them. I continue to learn everyday.

I don’t worry about my future anymore. I have faith that as long as I utilise my present productively, my future will be set.

I cannot say that I don’t worry about the impact that Covid-19 is having on our country and the world at large. But, I know that all I can do is my best and hope that better days are coming.

So, I now spend sometime outdoors everyday and marvel at the beauty of nature. Without my phone, without worrying about work, without worrying about what is to come.

I’ve convinced my husband to do the same. We are so lucky to live in a beautiful state like Goa.

On my daily drive from Panjim to Reis Magos, the river Mandovi looks like it’s actually full of glittering stars.

We cannot change yesterday, nor can we plan tomorrow. All we can do is make the best of our present and live in the moment and make it a life worth living.

It does not do to worry about things we cannot change and let life pass us by.

The poem should be taught to adults like us instead. It finally makes sense.

Fast forward another 10 years or so, when I need to explain the meaning of this poem to my 8 year old, I hope then that both of us find it difficult to understand how exactly it applies to us.

‘A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.’