There are things we keep giving to.
A little money.
A little time.
A little attention.
Then a little more.
Nothing feels unreasonable while we are giving it.
That is why we often don’t notice how much has gone.
Years can pass this way.
A business.
A project.
A relationship.
An idea.
A dream.
Sometimes we are building something.
Sometimes we are only keeping something alive.
From the outside, they can look the same.
I have been thinking about this in my own life.
We are comfortable asking:
What does this cost?
We are less comfortable asking:
What does it give back?
The first question has a number.
The second requires honesty.
What did the last year give me?
What did the last rupee give me?
What did all that effort leave behind?
Did something become stronger?
More useful?
More meaningful?
Did I become clearer?
Or did I simply become more invested?
There is a difference.
And perhaps it matters more as time passes.
Money can sometimes be earned again.
Time cannot.
Attention cannot.
Years cannot.
So before giving something more of ourselves, perhaps we should pause.
Not ask whether we can continue.
But whether we should.
Not:
Can I afford this?
But:
Is this still worth giving myself to?
I don’t know the answer for many things in my own life.
Perhaps that is why I am beginning to ask.
Not as a rule.
Not as a formula.
Just as a way of paying closer attention.
To what I give.
To what I receive.
And to what remains.
Written and photographed by Aniruddha Singh
ansiandyou® — A quiet place for attentive living.