Family | Very important to an individual

Just another bad day at office, came home with a shrug on my face, marred with embarrassment, cursing the next day, probably gonna be worse.
Things were not gonna settle so easily that evening. I got a call from Mom and dad, bad news, my cousin's premature baby had passed away. I knew this cousin of mine really well.

There was this one time when he and I had gone to a sea shore to by fresh fish. I , as usual, confidently went and stood on a boulder jutting into the sea. That day no fishermen took to the seas as the waves were too strong. Imagine waves 15ft tall. People say you don't die of drowning, its the belting of the waves on you and the rocks that take your life. Well The overconfident me was surprised by a sudden wave that within a fraction of a second toppled me. I reached for air, didn't find anything, reached for ground , nothing, reached for anything, absolutely nothing! Finally I got hold of a rock and I gripped on it with all my life. Seconds later the wave receded and I was stunned to see myself hanging at the edge of the boulder. Below is 15ft merciless waves. Something else that took my attention was my cousin. He had thrown of his slippers and was all set to jump in to the waves thinking that I have fallen in. I was surprised to see that someone would go to that extent. That was my cousin.

His baby had been given birth prematurely when he was 7 months old. After that they took real care of him in the incubator. He used to keep the kid in his chest and sleep every night to imitate the mother's womb. But after 3 months tragically the baby passed away.

My parents called me and asked me to call my cousin and express my grief. That was one of the most difficult moments in my life. I really did not have the guts to call him up. May be 'coz I was brought up in hostels away from family. I really have lost the vitality of family. The corporate life is making things worse. There's been weeks when I haven't called home. Somehow I have prioritized work above family. That made things difficult.


Finally I gave in to mom's words. I called my cousin up. He spoke to me well. I spoke to his family too amongst the grief. I felt great after that. I realize family is very important to an individual. I hope I will someday change my life styles and prioritize things that really matter in life.