Crazy Childhood and Oxygen

As a kid many crazy things happen, few done intentionally and many otherwise.

Now as an adult, when we think of those, certainly brings smile and sometimes a kind of embarrassment to us.

Many of those, we keep it to self and rarely talk about it.

Among the many things I did, I would like to mention the one here. This is when I was 10-11 years old, 5th or 6th standard.

In school, during science class, our teacher was telling us the importance of Oxygen, how it’s important for all the living being.

But also raised a concern that as the population is growing, like many other natural resources, it may get scarce as well.

My little mind, started thinking… OMG! What will happen if there won’t be any Oxygen left? We should do something to preserve the same.

I started hold on my breathe. I couldn’t manage to do it for more than half a minute or so. Those days, as no mobiles, I couldn’t do it with the help of stop watch.

Then I decided to slowly working on it. Every now and then, whenever I remembered this “Oxygen thing”, I used to hold on my breath. Try it for some time, get a satisfaction that I saved on some Oxygen.

Then I decided to increase this activity and take it for some more time.

In evening, when my mother used to do evening Puja, she used to say few Aarati (chants), then I decided, I will try to hold on my breathe till all the Aaratis get over.

Initially I couldn’t even hold my breath for first stanza of Sukhakarta, dukhaharta…, but slowly I built on my habit to hold on my breath for a good one-two minutes and more as well.

I made a habit “to hold on to breath” during whole day intermittently.

While playing glass marbles/kaanche till the time I aim for the marble in front of me, if some relatives leaving home, then till the time they don’t cross the road in-front of my home, while travelling, till the time I won’t be able to see a certain tree or building.

At school, I started holding it till the ‘National Anthem’ gets over and then take a brief one and then again hold till the ‘Pledge’ gets over.

Finally, I don’t know for how much time I was able to hold it, but every time I used to get a satisfaction, that I saved some amount of Oxygen.

I don’t know, when I stopped doing it.

I even told this to my better-half. Since then, whenever we discuss on ‘savings on something’, this thing comes up and she laughs uncontrollably… literally every time.

Share yours too and let’s laugh on that innocence of our childhood.

Vb