What are you waiting for?

GulfWeekly’s columnist Preety Praveen explores the topic ‘Are festivals and holidays an opportunity to reconnect with family?’

There was an era of joint families, when every moment was a celebration, surrounded by near and dear ones. Not only we but our relations, living styles and thought processes also evolved with time. Today, we’ve adopted the nuclear family lifestyle, reasons being different for different people, we all are on an autopilot mode, where our lives have adapted to a monotonous routine of work and responsibilities.

And that’s the reason we all look forward to having family time during festivals and holidays. One of the key factors is that it gives us a feel of a healthy happy life and family, and assures a combination of rest and relaxation with powerful life-affirming and memorable activities.

Today, people are busy and sometimes they find it hard to spend quality time together. Finding those moments, with everyone’s busy schedules, can be challenging. And the tech-savvy era in which we are living has gifted us the options to stay connected digitally.

Spending a little time during weekends, or connecting with your dear ones through the wires: Is that enough to satisfy our emotional parched souls?

A virtual smile can never convey the warmth of a tight hug. A picture of a full-fledged meal has no flavour in front of a small bowl of sweets served fresh with love.

When we are away from our dear ones, the distance teaches us to appreciate the days we are able to spend together and defines the level of our concern and patience. It is a reminder that every moment together is special and every second together should be cherished. It hurts not having our family close, but it would hurt even more not having them at all.

Work and money are important, but the love and support one gets from the family are priceless. And festivals and holidays come as a saviour to earn those moments of love and compassion.

Don’t wait for the right time, create your own right time and do the right thing, whenever and whichever way possible.

Your visit can be a planned trip or a surprise, but that definitely has the power of leaving an album of memories in your dear ones’ hearts. So, what are you waiting for?

Go ahead and take control of the time and live it to the fullest, with someone special, and make yourself feel special too, because you are.

You need a break from the monotonous lifestyle, work pattern and commitments.

(Preety Praveen is a psychologist and author.)