So many of us move through life doing what is required, what is expected, what is sensible—while quietly postponing who we truly are.
We learn to survive before we learn to live. Dreams are delayed, not abandoned, yet the waiting slowly weighs on the heart.
Still Unfinished
We smiled our way through noisy days,
While tears inside stayed well-behaved.
In crowded rooms we stood alone,
Our truest pain was never shown.
Each day we played the roles we knew,
Did what was asked, what we must do.
We told our dreams, “Just wait your turn,”
And felt the slow, familiar burn.
Once we believed life would be kind,
With time to rest and space to shine.
But time taught us to bend, not fight,
And we gave up ourselves first, every night.
We looked so strong to passing eyes,
As if we never broke inside.
Even tears had rules to meet—
Is your sorrow valid? Is it complete?
Yet somewhere deep, a voice remains,
Soft but steady, free of chains.
It whispers low, “You’re not too late,
Begin again. Don’t hesitate.”
Maybe this is the truth we learn:
Life is more than waiting your turn.
The heaviest weight we ever bear
Is the life we left unfinished there?
(Vijay Verma)
www.retiredkalam.com
Categories: kavita
Retiredकलम 
A valid post for sure. All too many people put off living life until…the kids are grown…they retire….the world is back to normal, and then never take that first step, because the time is not right. My own father put off travel until he retired and died 8 months after retirement, having never realized his dream. We can not sleepwalk through life, never taking time for ourselves or our relationships, our dreams. There is never a better time than the present to make a move or take a risk. Happy Saturday. Allan
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Allan, for such a heartfelt and wise reflection.
Your words carry the weight of lived experience, and the story about your father is a powerful reminder of how fragile and precious time truly is. It’s so easy to keep postponing life, waiting for the “right” moment that never quite arrives.
I really appreciate how you’ve captured the urgency—without fear, but with intention—to live now, to nurture relationships, and to honor our dreams while we can. Your message is a gentle yet firm wake-up call to stop sleepwalking and start choosing presence and courage.
LikeLike
This felt painfully familiar. So many of us learn how to endure long before we learn how to live. Your words sit quietly, but they stay like truths we don’t say out loud often. Thank you for writing this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for saying that—it truly means a lot.
I’m moved that the words resonated in such a deep, familiar way. You’re right… many of us become experts at enduring before we ever feel allowed to live, and naming that truth can feel both heavy and healing. I’m grateful you sat with it and shared what it stirred in you. Sometimes the quiet truths are the ones that stay with us the longest.
LikeLike
very nice .
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much.
LikeLike