May 23, 2010

Milestones - 4

Read Milestones - 5


Still barefoot his feet had dried as Don continued his journey uphill with his bag pack in tow. He had anticipated that the road would be tough but did not quite expect so many experiences on the way. On the fourth hairpin a new experience expected him.

As the wind picked up speed the trees begun to reach out to each other, the leaves expressed their desire to separate from any bonding and the birds reminded the trees of their strength. The thunder in the background announced its presence to all in the picture, and beyond it.

A tall eucalyptus tree arching over the road invited Don to take shelter. As he stood under the branches, waiting for the fluctuating weather to settle down…he noticed there was an army of ants following each other in a procession up the tree trunk. Every time the wind blew hard or drops of rain fell on their way , the chain of scent would be broken.

The last ant to cross the drop of water, would wait, but not look back and then keep following the ant in front of him. The ant that was before the drop of water stopped and turned around. Speaking briefly to the one behind him and then to the one behind him, as if trying to convince them that they had reached a dead end. But the procession did not listen. They stuck to the line.

Soon the new leader found a way around the drop of water and managed to pick up the lost scent. Soon the rest of them followed. And a new line was formed. This process kept repeating every time the drops of rain or a gust of wind interrupted the ants from their course.

The lonely ant which broke the line and went back...eventually got blown off into the wind…alone he was smaller than his size but together he stood a better chance.

But he did not die. Somewhere in a distant land he fell back to earth. Now with a new realization. He waited patiently and searched relentlessly for his new family. He got one, and never looked back.

The wind had calmed down a bit, and drizzle lightened.Don kept on thinking of lost ant and thought how many times he had lost in life, but he had to try and move ahead, not rue what never happened the way he wanted.

Don looked ahead and something in him wanted to see what lay ahead of him on the 5th hairpin bend.





Gyanban Thoughts - life gives us opportunities which are disguised.Sometimes an apparent follow the leader opportunity is better than being the direction less leader or rebel.Sometimes falling in line is not such a bad thing.sometimes waiting for the right path is not such bad decision. Our lives are being benchmarked with trend setters, path breakers and trail blazers. while that may sound fancy - it is also important to know that being a follower is not such a bad thing.Isn't? This does not mean you cannot be a leader. You can.

You can. you know why? Because life continues. Even after the worst decision of your life, the worst mistake, life still continues..and continues to give you yet another chance.If being the trail blazer is your destiny then you will find that path eventually, if not, then you know where your future lies.Follow it.


Don thinks of the moments he has lost arguments,battles and decisions in life as he looks at the ants following each other.He always wanted to break away.He did.Will he now find a new path ? Will he realise? or Will he follow his mind ?

Find out in the next hairpin bend.


Read Milestones - 5



17 comments:

  1. Dont know what happened to my comment the first time. So here goes....

    Brilliant. First time at your blog and will be back to explore the treasure (not assuming...one grain of rice is a good sampler).Well done.

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  2. a new angle to this old metaphor. love this.... aren't we all the "lone-ant" at one time or the other... so much to learn from the lil ones.

    can't seem to ignore the dark cloud of misery tht appears to be following Don. i know he's ur fictional character, but why is he the way he is...? his story is waiting to be written.... (i hope.)

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  3. @leblog - Bonjour et bienvenue ! Look forward to seeing you more often on Scrambled Egg.

    @7-ate-9 - If you read Milestone 1 - you ll know why he is the way he is...but the story will complete it s cycle and so will his predicament.Right now Don is undergoing a metamorphosis of the mind which is in conflict with the heart.

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  4. Wonderful thoughts to go by.. Ya the thing about the leaders and followers is beautifully presented thru this post of urs.. :) As Robert Frost said "Only three words sum up the definition of life. It goes on."

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  5. dude i hate to say this but... i am intrigued.. intrigued to know more...intrigued to come back and kill you because you are making my heart jump and putting to be continued...:P

    excellent post...:D

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  6. @Sushoban - am glad you read all the episodes so far and liked it so far. The post attempts at drawing parallels with our lives and messages hidden in everyday activities.

    @Sid - Your intrigue will be answered tomorrow. thanks for reading the milestones and am glad you identified.

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  7. Very rightly said... nice post :)

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  8. Though i feel like kicking myself in the ass for not reading these before, I am glad am reading it now, coz otherwise I would died of curiosity every time a post ended and i would have to waist for another one... u rock buddy... keep it up...

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  9. I like this series of yours. Keep coming back for more.

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  10. The above comment was meant for milestone -1

    I love the way you describe every minute detail...hilly backdrop adds that special Gyanban touch.(your last series is still etched on my mind).

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  11. @Shilpa - thanks for reading.

    @Tavish - thanks a lot and am glad you like reading this series.

    @Purba - Yes this series is past it s half way mark, now the final stages begin.

    @Kavita - tis is nt a racy story...it s a gentle one...read and relax.

    @Hills have eyes dont they ? and I am beginning to realize they speak too ! Thanks for reading the seristory.

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  12. I luved the essence of this post!!!

    " Our lives are being benchmarked with trend setters, path breakers and trail blazers. while that may sound fancy - it is also important to know that being a follower is not such a bad thing.Isn't?"

    Your posts ooze with simple yet powerful thoughts.....thoughts that linger for days.....truly inspirational.

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  13. @MagicQuill - thanks amd glad you got the message it was trying to convey. WE keep striving for the best,nothing wrong with that but sometimes while doing so,somewhere we lose sight of what is realistically possible, and subconsciously trigger huge frustration within us.So we neither enjoy the journey nor the eventual success because it would have at a heavy cost.

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  14. life is upbeat after all- here he is regaining his childhood wonder

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  15. Gyan,
    I loved how you have closely observed nature, the ants and their march..And then applied it to delivering a message in your series. This is indeed a profound thought!
    " Sometimes an apparent 'follow the leader' opportunity is better than being the direction less leader or rebel.Sometimes falling in line is not such a bad thing.sometimes waiting for the right path is not such bad decision."
    I couldn't agree with youi more Gyan!
    Kudos Man..:D

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