I bid 2010 on a sombre note. I slept with a heavy heart fearing that its dark shadow would loom into the new year as well, but God surprised me yet another time. Unlike my apprehensions, the day reiterated to me some of the most valuable virtues that I had stopped noticing.
10:30 a.m- I woke up with a thud noise that came from the kitchen. I knew my maid Neela had broken yet another cup or a plate and rushed towards the scene. I didn't say a word and restrained myself on seeing her clear the broken china. What a way to greet the first morning of the year i thought.
As I was wondering about this bad omen, my eyes set on a ten year old girl nicely playing in my balcony. She held on to the clothesline and kept on trying to swing. I kept watching her play for next 5 minutes until Neela said coyly that the girl was her niece Kasni. Neither healthy nor lean, Kasni seemed just fit. She wore an oversize kurti teamed up with some pale dirty stockings. As i looked closely, I saw that she had blunt features, yet a radiating smile. A magical smile. A smile that can take the other person into her world of fun. Even her hair flying in all directions, seemed as if they were playing with the wind. She was so content with life: it looked as if, life was her lost pet that she just found and now she simply wouldn't let it go. She didn't care even a tad bit with the unlimited stares she got from the passerby's. I was so carried away with her self enjoyment and thought of how I longed desperately to be like her. My dumb senses suddenly got a nice stir and I knew it was so simple. You just had to LOVE YOURSELF and EVERYTHING around you-living or non living.
Sometimes, in the quest to achieve more, we are so hard on ourselves that we totally neglect the little things that can actually brighten up our lives. For instance, I walk into the balcony every morning but I neglect every little happiness that's knocking earnestly at my door as I am too bombarded with wasteful thoughts. I wish I could clean up all preoccupied thoughts more easily like I delete files from my PC at the click of a single button. I want to wake up now with a blank mind and cherish every little thing that life has bestowed on me; the fragrant morning breeze, the lazy sun basking in its glory, the street kids with innocent smiles, the fresh batch of flowers in the neighbor's yard...
Without even saying a word, Kasni in her own cheerful way had described so much about life: Nowhere in her act it reflected that she was unhappy with her deprived conditions. She just had the right spirit of transforming even the simple things into magic. The magic to magnify the little moments of happiness into never-ending infectious laughter. The magic to lock those few moments with such wonderful memories that its aura revolves around us for lifetime. The magic of living life being carefree devoid of any superficiality. Thanks Kasni for helping me welcome the new year on gratified note.
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