Joy of Little Things

If I were to ask little Aman what he wished for right then, he would have said a window with a view. You see he had been bedridden for quite a while and his doctors hadn’t given him any false hopes. He felt happy in the fact that his bed was shifted to the window side which offered him a view of the vast garden outside.

Quite often in life, contentment slips away and we fall into the rut of complaining over each and everything. And then comes a time when life presents certain lessons on a platter – perhaps these are difficult to accept, but no doubt, they lead to a nirvana state of mind. We chase after beauty, good skin and hair in youth. Then old age dawns to remind us of what is actually beautiful. We chase after ambitions, money and fame. Then sickness dawns to remind us of how immaterial all of this is. Dreaming big is no sin, but along with it we need to develop a sense of our conscious self, delve into our soul and nourish it with the joy of little things. The rays of the morning sun, an unhurried coffee break, a family dinner, a hug from your children every morning, an outing to a nearby park, a game of fetch with your faithful dog, a visit to your aged parents, a get-together with old school friends, a round through the countryside or a boat ride across a placid lake, sound of birds or a gurgling waterfall.

Being generous with our time and resources is another little step towards joy. How often do we put aside meetings with old buddies or relatives, not due to actual lack of time but for lack of inertia to act? A visit to an orphanage or old age school, special needs school or pet adoption centres can show us what really matters in life.

We can also start little habits which may seem inconsequential at the start but assumes deeper significance as we move along. There is joy in decluttering our lives. How less burdensome it would feel to have only things that are of real use, to stop assuming that material objects have a value beyond a certain point. We can even rearrange our living spaces to let nature seep in.

Earth offers so much and more to seekers of nirvana. Just open your mind to the joy of little things!

V. Gayalakshmi