FINDING NIRVANA

by Deborah Elliott-Upton

“Yes, there is a Nirvana; it is leading your sheep to a green pasture, and in putting your child to sleep, and in writing the last line of your poem.” – Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931)

In the interview I conducted a couple of weeks ago, I asked a multi-award winning author what made her the happiest. It wasn’t the money, the fame or not having to report to work at a regular 9-5 job any longer. Instead, it was that she was now able to spend more time with her family and write the stories of her heart.

Someone once asked me what I’d do if I knew I had only six months to live. I said, “Get my affairs in order, spend quality time with my family and friends and write as much as possible.” She shook her head. “You writers,” she said as if I had a disease.

It’s not so much as I think what I have to say is all that important or that I need to leave a legacy behind to try to prove my worth. It’s because I really, really, really enjoy writing.

When a writer is “in the zone,” it’s as if time doesn’t exist. A glance at the clock tells us hours miraculously disappear while we’re at the computer. This is especially true when we’re on a deadline.

I’m not the only writer who feels this way about the joy of writing. I’m sure readers feel the same when they’ve been turning pages of a novel long into the night and in reading that last paragraph are amazed at how the time disappeared while they were being entertained.

I’ve read Mary Higgins Clark’s Where Are the Children? several times over the years. Although, I have forgotten a few elements of the story, I get entangled in the plot and caring about the protagonist quickly. I have never once read this book where I could stop without finishing it in one sitting. Sure, I was tired the next day, but I have never felt I’d wasted my time.

Nirvana is finding moments when we forget everything but the moment we’re living.

“Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.” – Og Mandino (1923-1996)

A friend told a story about a women meeting Frank Sinatra many years ago at a restaurant. She’d been a life-long fan and got enough courage to ask him for an autograph. As he was signing his name, she admired his diamond studded cufflinks. He took them off and handed them to her. “But, these are so expensive,” she protested. Sinatra smiled and said, “If there is anything you own that you can’t give away, then you don’t own the things, the things own you.”

After a writer has sold millions of books, collected the accolades and awards and still keeps writing, he isn’t usually doing it just for the money. He’s doing what he loves, chasing his own Nirvana. Otherwise, Stephen King and J. K. Rowling wouldn’t still be pounding out bestsellers.

It’s not the destination, but the journey that means much to us in the end. Savor the daily moments that make you the happiest. You may be surprised where you find your own personal Nirvana.