Did you brush your teeth today? Did you smile?
In this world today where everything moves at a rapid pace, life stands still only for a few moments. Moments that you can remember, that you can replay in your mind, that get engraved in your memory. Oh! the few precious happy moments. And as life has become easier and longer with all the technology and medicine, happiness is becoming shorter and difficult to come by.
Like most of you I have a nine to five job, a two bedroom apartment, I shop for groceries on weekends, put up calendar reminders on Gmail to pay all my bills and I drive to work in a lot of traffic every day. It’s an ordinary life. Sometimes it is stressful, sometimes it is fun.
Sometime back, I had a bad day at work and then was driving home through a maze of traffic when I saw my friend of mine and being impulsive as I am; I turned and waved a big HI to her, mostly to the surprise of a few guys riding their bikes next to her. I burst out laughing and the feeling of well being came over me. In that moment, with that laugh, I was happy again and I wondered ….. Is it this easy to be happy? Mind you, I am one materialistic bitch when it comes to that, but, I was amazed to realize….. that for the most part money and happiness are unrelated. Happiness lies in living. Living your life and enjoying things that make you happy.
A simple lesson learnt from Funny Face. Yes the old English musical starring Audrey Hepburn. It is an elegant fashion movie from the 50’s, can you beat that! You might not like it much if you don’t fancy musicals. But, there is a song that goes something like how to stay lovely… it’s a fashion movie….. What else did you expect? Anyways the song goes something like this, to stay lovely, you must not worry. To stay lovely make your disappointments inconsequential and your joys monumental. When I come to think of it, it is such a powerful lesson for life.
Many a times I our disoriented struggle to that undefined goal, we lose out on life. We stop having fun and ignore the people and things that make us happy. The other day, in the famous Konkan monsoons, I was as usual late for work and my scooty won't start. I was so irritated, that too at the very beginning of the day. The damn thing won't start and the stupid rain won’t stop. I was late for work and hated my life!! And all of a sudden I remembered Funny Face. And I remembered how much I love rains and getting drenched. I have always loved rains and that too not just drizzling, I love pouring rain. It always made me happy as a kid and even as a grown up (to be honest). And there I was getting upset and angry and missing out on something that I love, have always loved.
This realization liberated me of my misery. I smiled, parked the scooty, decided to take a taxi, opened my umbrella and walked to the gate of my housing society in pouring rain. It’s almost half a kilometer walk and by the end of it, I was smiling, humming some nice song and happy. I had made my trouble inconsequential and my joy monumental.
So, always remember to smile. Do things that you like and don’t worry so much. Life is too short for all this. Let’s live today, leave worrying for tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment