JOY IS ALWAYS POSSIBLE

…childhood memories of walking home from school, soaked to the bone in the monsoons, munching on a butta...

…popping the sour, jeera-golis, in class dodging the teacher’s eye and then bursting into glee at the silly little adventure…

…hearing the Kokila coo unexpectedly in the trees that line the busy, chaotic, crazy Mumbai roads…

… reading a book with guilty pleasure, late into the night with a torch under the blanket, lost in magical worlds…

And then one grows up but surely that’s no reason to not find joy…?

…the sight of a plump baby cooing away, the purity of it’s soul so evident in it’s shining eyes…

…the majesty of unassuming trees standing by hot, dusty roads; to notice their undemanding beauty, their quiet shade, offered to whoever so craves…

…the descent of quietness as the sun sets, and a frothy cloud of Saffron and Magenta streaks the sky…

…and in the seeming darkness of night, in the depths of our souls, when little stars twinkle, to notice their unchanging ethereal magic, in a constantly changing world….

…and forget the petty quarrels that mar our lives…

…to remember, Joy is always possible….

 

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COURAGE

The world today is so competitive, cut-throat and dog eat dog. Everybody is running faster, needing more, wanting more. And the more we get, the more we want. The more we want, the more we run and the more we run the more unhappy we become – proverbial hamsters on the wheel!

And in all this wanting, it’s so easy to forget all that we do have – all the gifts that we take for granted. And one of the greatest gifts that we can have is healthy children. What a miracle it is that most are born perfect, beautiful and healthy – isn’t that alone a cause for infinite happiness?

But like most it wasn’t something I had thought about consciously – it was brought home to me, when I volunteered with children having Cerebral Palsy and their parents. I had previously written about ANAND who had Cerebral Palsy and who had inspired me and today I am reminded of my wonderful friend Jyotsna who is the picture of grace and courage, given her special challenge. She is the mother of beautiful Anandita, who has cerebral palsy. Jyotsna writes about it on her blog ‘Learning Disability and Special Needs’ (http://myjourneywithanandita.blogspot.co.uk/).

The one thing I noticed the most in Jyotsna and in most of the parents I met, is their lack of self-pity and bitterness. They don’t wail – why me! Instead they get on with the business of life with even more determination, patience and courage. There’s is a hard path, but just like Gold is smelted and burnished before it gleams – these parents gleam Gold – by their very tough experiences. Jyotsna’s cheerfulness, her willingness to help others (she now mentors other parents) is simply amazing!

I have learnt so much from them and been humbled by their courage and inspired by them – and the next time my child doesn’t come at the top of his class, I will not berate him or run him down. Next time I feel like complaining, groaning and moaning about life – I will simply remind myself of the wonderful gift I have.