Recently, I attended a three-day retreat called Entrainment with my Guru Mahatria and fellow Infinitheists. It was a festival of bliss. Happiness and joy filled the air and our cells. Laughter roared everywhere. Love overflowing in the hugs and how we celebrated each other. There was music, dance, and abundant food from all corners of the country. And, of course, talks by Mahatria to quench our thirst for wisdom. 

This is how Vrindavan must have been once: an abundance of love, happiness, dance, and joy everywhere. When Krishna played the flute, all the Gopis and Gopikas sat around him, growing in love with him and learning to love life. Birds, animals, and all living creatures swayed to the melodies. Children played and giggled around him. This is exactly how Entrainment was. 

Nothing about our lives had changed in those three days. Back home, the problems, issues, or challenges were there as we had left them, yet everything about our lives had changed. We were soaking in bliss and gratitude, surrounded by the magnificence of his energy flowing through each seeker. Our sangam oozed positivity and celebration. Collectively, we represented abundance in every aspect of life.

The days passed quickly—time flies faster at such times. The next moment, we were back at the airport for our flights home. Some of us are still living those moments, and a few are back to the daily grind—9-to-5 work and chores at home. 

While on the flight, I withdrew, closing my eyes. Reliving those moments of sheer bliss at Entrainment, a thought ran through my mind. Can this state be made permanent in our lives?

Is it possible to always celebrate life?

“The secret of greatness is to make the temporary high permanent,” I recalled Mahatria’s statement.

“The ultimate tragedy of life is not death, but not living life to the fullest,” says Mahatria. Also, “the secret of greatness is to make the temporary high permanent.”

The thought lingered in me. How can this become a permanent state in my life? A voice whispered, “It’s doable.” I ran through all those times when I felt happy and celebrated when I was high on life and in a purple patch. These were the times when I either did something that brought me joy or left me feeling special, such as festivals, birthdays, or occasions with my loved ones. 

Then why does this fade off? Because we are conditioned that way. Is there a crockery set in the house used only for special guests? Do you have a special dress, jewelry, or saree saved for those special times? Do you wait for a holiday to enjoy yourself and have a good time? Do you want someone to express love to feel happy? Are you looking for a reason to call someone and say thank you? 

All the above seems real, doesn’t it? We, as a culture, have always been told to celebrate others. Festivities are a reason for us to celebrate and come together. It is always about families and community. But we are never told to celebrate ourselves. And so, we always wait for someone to celebrate us, or we celebrate others on special occasions. How easy it is for us to overlook ourselves. 

“The ultimate tragedy of life is not death, but not living life to the fullest,” Mahatria reminds us.

If we wait for everything to be okay, we’ll never be happy.

Yes, we think we have all the time in the world, so we postpone our plans. We don’t express ourselves enough because we feel we can do it later. The other person isn’t going anywhere. Each minute that passes by becomes the past. The past never comes back. Once gone, it’s lost. If we wait for everything to be okay or fall into place, we shall never learn to be happy. We hold on to negative emotions deeply and discard the good so easily.

The beauty of emotions is that they are time-bound. They will fade, and new ones will arise. So, if we learn the art of letting the not-so-good moments pass by as an experience outside of us and hold on to only the positives, it will create a strong subconscious mind, which will draw more reasons to celebrate. I’m not saying that we should not feel the pain or hurt. I am just saying it has come for a reason. Experience it, learn the lesson, and let it go. 

“At the retreat called Entrainment with my Guru Mahatria and fellow Infinitheists, we soaked in bliss and gratitude, surrounded by the magnificence of his energy flowing through each seeker. Our sangam oozed positivity and celebration. Together, we represented abundance in every aspect of life.”

Mature is when your response to a similar experience changes. When one can be calm and composed in a repeated situation, it tells life to stop giving you such experiences. So, the more we celebrate, the happier we are. Life will bring us an abundance of such times to celebrate. Yes, we are humans. We may drift from our centeredness, but we can anchor onto our peace by being aware. 

The fact that we are alive is reason enough to celebrate.

The fact that we are alive is a reason enough to celebrate. So many others did not get up this morning. The Infinite has chosen you to live one more day and experience his bounty and glory. When the creator thinks you are worthy of his love and grace, who are you to question and doubt? Aren’t we supposed to cherish ourselves and celebrate ourselves? The easiest way of showing your gratitude to him.

Ever since, I have been living every minute to the fullest and celebrating my life. I shall celebrate myself first and then others by spreading happiness and love. Through expressing my gratitude to everyone and everything AROUND ME. 

For life is celebration, and celebration is life!