A bird in hand is worth two in a bush they say. But what happens to a kid’s heart when a picture of one emerges in her hand?
The flutter in her eyes and the urgent joy that the twitch in the corner of her mouth gives away are flights of joy that no bird can match!
It’s not the big toys that cause the greatest joys. Sure they bring in their own levels of happiness. But the moments spent laughing and waiting for something to emerge are the ones that are green in the mind.
The gates lead to a brief courtyard of four pillars. Which leads to a ruffle of a mud road. That leads into the lake. Beyond which are great trees. When you persist post that pristine rolling hills invite.
The village temple has many celebrations through the year. But when this city dweller gets and looks at the world, the roads his parents have walked become clearer. Long roads that we’re never roads.
Journeys that start by looking out of giant doors and not wondering if there is a road. Whose dreams were never limited by the question : “Is there a road?’
(at Madurai, India)
Some people live a life that goes beyond their own lifespan and extend to generations. Paul Revere’s was one such. Imagine a life story from the 17th century that still captures attention laced with reverence.
Paul Revere was a successful silversmith who played a defining role in the American Independence struggle. A role that centred around devising a system that alerted and kept a watch on the British army. His heroics mounted a fame horse and rode away to glory, when Henry Longfellow wrote a poem called “Paul Revere’s ride”.
He wrote
“Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year”
I stood along with a set of curious folks who had got to the Granary Burial Ground in Boston. To look him up after reading his exploits the previous day.
For a gent who was born in 1734, that is some recognition, isnt it?
(at Granary Burial Grounds- Boston, Ma)
It’s often not about how heavy the weight is as how we carry the weight.
Finding another shoulder and just another plank to distribute the weight works wonders.
So, this week, who are you lending a shoulder to? It could make a telling difference. Who knows whats weighing someone down.
(at Juhu Beach)
Our differences come up because the frames we wear are different. We look at the same object and think different things. How we perceive the world affects the world.
And as the world hurtles from problem to problem, we ought to see this. Perhaps take the trouble to see this.
In moments when hatred abounds our minds, perhaps its worth our time to pause and ponder ‘whats causing me to think about this way’. And asking that question in itself can solve many problems. Problems that existed because of our frames.
(at Qutb Minar)
Do you just take off and land or do you really fly?
Do you just see flowers by the road or have you noticed them in full bloom?
Do you notice the things that you notice and the things that you don’t?
Do you see that they are not about the things themselves, but about the thing inside you. Called life.
