Almost

I guess I was in 2^nd grade, when one of my teachers emphasised the importance of learning the art of being fluent in the English Language. And honestly, there hasn’t been one day in my life when I’ve questioned her words. Touted as the Grammar Nazi of the group at times; I secretly, do enjoy, when friends and acquaintances reach out to me for drafting their mails, texts and what not.

English, as a language, is so beautiful in itself. The words, the phrases- I can’t think of a better language to express oneself; unless of course, if you’re a poet and Urdu is your forte- that’s a totally different ballgame altogether.

But well coming to the point; I recently watched this movie called- ‘Before We Go’- nothing special though. But it did make me wish and hope for a better climax for the story. It’s about two people, brought together by fate, who spend one eventful night to eventually fall for each other but still end up going their separate ways. How tragic is that?

And that made me wonder about all the tragic moments I’ve experienced in life. And I realised, that there’s been nothing as tragic as stories, chapters and moments of my life that have been left incomplete. Establishing a common pattern, I realised that the most tragic word of all time in the English language is- Almost.

I almost said goodbye to the job I hated. I almost told him I love him. I almost bought that dress I liked. I almost took that Goa vacay I’ve been planning. I’m almost done being friends with her. I almost told him the truth. We almost met. We almost fell for each other. I almost said yes.

Almost- when you’re there, but not quite; just not yet. The truth is, nothing causes more regrets in your life than ‘Almost’. It brings you face to face with what could have been. And it’s such a tragedy to be so close to what you want, and to see it slip away in front of your own eyes. We are often afraid, to make up our minds, and to take a stand. We don’t make choices that we need to, that we know are important to be made, in time. We take things for granted. We take people for granted. We take our own self for granted too. In this race called life, we forget to make time or take measures for things that matter the most in the long run.

And in the end of it all, when we reach the finish line, our life is nothing but a list of “What Ifs” and “Almosts”. And if that’s not a tragedy, I don’t know what is. So go out there, do the things you’e always wanted to. Check off those items on your checklist. Call back that old friend who has been trying to reach out to you. Stop doing what you dislike. Take chances, burn bridges, apologize, forgive, dance, fall in love, make friends, travel the word, do everything you want to- Live! Don’t ‘almost’ live. Don’t leave your story incomplete; because years from now on, when someone talks about you, they shouldn’t have to wish or hope for a better climax.