Are there any shortcuts?
Months back, we as a bunch of friends happened to be on a trip to explore a few villages in Tamil Nadu along with the culture they were accustomed to. Coming to the end of the tour after two weeks, we had some good memorable experiences and encountered a lot of new things which were very rare to even see in city life.
One good episode was a conversation with an old lady in a village called Neelambur. She was in the process of making ghee which is commonly used in Indian cuisine. She has been churning butter and ghee for the past 15 years and this ghee is spread out to all corners of the state. Continuing with the same spark and enthusiasm, the old lady explained the whole process from scratch on how the milk is made into curd, curd to butter and finally butter to ghee.
As the old lady was in the midst of making the ghee from butter, she showcased the procedure. She placed the butter in a huge heavy-bottomed pan and lit the same on a low-heated flame. A thick bottom pan was used to prevent the burning of butter. Over time as the butter was melting in the pan, it began to bubble and foam which is nothing but the water content evaporating from the butter.
Then she showed us how the milk solids form at the bottom of the pan and the foam begins to subside. Then that foam was removed until the milk solids at the bottom of the pan turn golden brown. With that, the entire room was filled with the nutty flavour of ghee and then the pan was left to cool for a bit.
Finally, she strained the ghee into a clean and dry container to preserve it at room temperature or refrigerator for up to several months.
Now, hearing and witnessing the entire narration, it is clear that all this was possible only after the consistent efforts by the lady and it’s indeed a process.
Likewise, when it comes to health, without a sustainable plan to have a proper workout and good diet as a daily regimen, health issues will always be welcomed. Having a bad lifestyle for 10 years and expecting to get rid of all the side effects in a few days or a month is an unrealistic expectation. Consistent efforts might not show immediate results in a month, two or even three. But hanging in there patiently for some more time is needed to see the best results.
No injury will have a shortcut to disappear within an hour. Everything takes its own time to heal and the only aspect being demanded is consistent effort.
Be it anything, career success, material success, health success or even a good relationship, there are no shortcuts to make them last for a long time as it is a process. A process of consistent efforts.
Looking for shortcuts could be a stepping stone to be a meteor. It is a known fact that most meteors are visible for only a few seconds, typically between 1–5 seconds. The brighter and larger ones could be visible for up to 10–20 seconds on average.
Saying no to shortcuts will eventually welcome us to be a pole star and remains static. It inspires many others to take the journey we chose. It is all about the stability that the old lady is having for years and churning the milk into ghee.
A choice to be a shooting star or a pole star!
