IN THE SILENCE OF THE NIGHT

One night staring up at the stars in the balcony, a realization hit me. I decided then and there that I would write about it someday. And it goes like this….

I love gazing at the darkness of the night sipping tea, with nothing particular in mind. The sky, the stars, the moon, the hills, the horizon never fail to bring me some kind of inner peace. Sometimes I wish I could stay there forever drinking in the tranquility of the wondrous sight before me. I particularly like counting the stars and sometimes in the process I find myself counting the passing by planes as well. In other nights it takes me a while to decide whether it is a star or a plane. There are nights when I just stand there thinking about life in general. On some nights my mind takes me on a journey back in time, and I’m reminded of the good and the bad experiences  I’ve had and sometimes past incidents which I never want to remember come to the surface. If only those memories could be permanently deleted from my memory or I could bury them somewhere deep in my brain where I could never reach them………………………  

The tall buildings, the roads, the lights, all have their own charm and one cannot stop noticing them. The darkness of the night has some magical effect on everything making them more appealing to the eyes. Sometimes I put extra effort to observe the details, the little details one would not notice unless observed carefully. The more I looked the more I saw, things that I did not notice before and I question myself if they were there all this time. 

One such night my eyes decided to wander a little further than it used to. As a result I was looking at a whole new direction, one which I never gave that much attention to.  I was busy scanning all that lay in front of me when I spotted it. No, I didn’t see anything strange or extraordinary. It was just a road, a road which was not far from my sight. Not far in the sense I can make out the vehicles without much trouble. 

What makes it remarkable is the realization that hit me. The realization that sometimes we look too long in one direction that things which are right in front of our eyes and within our reach go unnoticed, the realization that sometimes we do not dare to look around to see the many opportunities that are available for us. And we complain that there are no opportunities, no blessings, nothing good in our life. But before you come to a conclusion about your situation let me ask you this. If I had not looked at the other direction or changed my angle of vision, do you think I would have ever noticed that road? Most probably the answer would be no. 

Take the road as a metaphor for opportunity and there are many out there which I’m yet to discover if I dared to look and pay attention. Same goes to you. So look around, observe, let your eyes wander, and find the treasures that are out there waiting to be discovered. Good Luck!

"Opportunities, they are all around us. There is power lying latent everywhere waiting for the observant eye to discover it." Orison Swett Marden

TALE OF A PLANT……

I was in the plants section of a big supermarket admiring all the beautiful plants and feeling the softness of their colourful blooms when I spotted some breathtaking rose plants. The roses were simply perfect with no flaws whatsoever and they won my heart at a glance. I quickly checked the price tag and found it quite reasonable. No matter how lovely and refreshing they were I could not simply put it into the trolley as I had to spend money wisely. So I spent some good amount of time admiring them and sniffing their fragrance all the while having a mental debate as to take it or not. I had my doubts so decided against buying it and tried to walk away.

Seconds later I found myself back at the same spot caressing the smooth petals of the roses and doing a thorough examination of the plants for any flaws. You guessed it right. There was none. All my reasons not to buy it simply vanished and one of the plants ended up in the trolley. I noticed many people staring at the plant and I was proud to be the owner of it.

Soon it was decided that a corner in my room would be its home though I knew the balcony would be a better option for it. I just could not bear the thought of keeping it away from my sight. However the changes that were taking place told me that it’s time to shift it to the balcony where it would get sufficient sunlight. It was not an easy decision but I had no choice.

I took good care of the plant since I wanted to bask in its glory for a very very long time. My camera did an amazing job capturing its splendid blooms and I was able to share it with many people. It was complimented by many and I never missed a chance to show it off to my friends.

It became an important part of my life. It gave me something to look forward to. It inspired me and it taught me new things. I found a reason to smile every time I looked at it. It took away some of my loneliness and I often wondered how a simple plant could give you so much.

Days turned into months and I observed the plant moving closer and closer to its end with each passing moment. It broke my heart to see leaf by leaf withering until there were few left. As the branches started decaying I was convinced there was nothing more I could do to save it. Finally I stopped watering it and prepared myself to say goodbye.

And then one day, the most unexpected thing happened. You can’t imagine my amazement when I saw fresh sprouts growing from the only branch which was still alive. The only branch which never gave up though everything around it was dying and saying their byes. I still remember that exact moment- the moment which taught me a few valuable lessons about life and hope. A small branch which was not taller than a foot was able to touch my heart and give me a whole new perspective on life. It taught me not to give up hope until the very last minute. I also learnt that in life nothing is constant and anything can happen at any minute. Moreover, I realized that most unexpected things happen when we least expect it.

Yes, it lived for some more months. Much more than anyone ever thought it would survive. It did give me few more beautiful roses. They were not as magnificent as the others but they were more special- special for they symbolized hope. Now all I’ve is the lessons it taught me and its memories which I treasure….

This is the tale of a small plant which did so much in its short life. I hope you learnt something from it. Never give up hope…. Nothing is as bad as it seems and nothing is constant. The sun always returns after rain so would happiness after sorrows. They say ‘to have a rainbow; you have to have a little rain.’

Step Up With Challenges!

A farmer lost his donkey and was in search of it. While searching he heard its cries and traced it to a well where the donkey had fallen into.

The old donkey was crying piteously and the farmer thought that the animal must have suffered serious injuries and felt that it would be better to bury it than to put it into further injuries by trying to pull it out. Further more, by throwing mud into the well, he thought that the well would be covered up and future accidents as such can be prevented.

The farmer thus sought the help of his neighbours and started throwing mud into the well. Initially they heard loud cries from the donkey. However as the work progressed, the farmer and his friends could hear no more cries from the donkey. When they peeped, into the well, to their amazement they saw the donkey still alive. As the farmers threw the mud into the well, the donkey shook the mud off from its body and took one step up. This way the donkey gained height in the well and stepped out of the calamity when the well was almost covered.

Problems in life are like the mud thrown. All one needs to do is to shake off the mud and step up!

Source: http://living.oneindia.in

Life is a Challenge

"Someone who courageously survives one's life, is a person who braves the big waves of the ocean, and has never been afraid of failures. No obstacles would hamper his way to success."-anonymous

Cambridge Dictionary defines the word, ‘challenge’ as ‘(the situation of being faced with) something needing great mental or physical effort in order to be done successfully and which therefore tests a person's ability’.

Does the above definition apply to life? Yes, it does. In fact every bit of it does.  Let’s look at few examples. When you first opened your eyes to this world, you were as helpless as you could ever be. You depended on someone to meet all your needs.  As you grew older you learnt to take your very first step, of course, with great difficulty. You must have fallen a number of times before you were able to do it correctly and move forward, one step at a time. It was a great challenge for you, but you never gave up. And the result was rewarding.  When you first started eating, were you able to do it perfectly? No, you were in a big mess. But did it stop you from doing it again? Did you care about what others might think about you? No, the reason might have been your innocence. You overcame all the challenges and became an independent person. 

Now, let’s look at what happens to us once we grow up, once we are no longer innocent and care free. We worry about everything, even the smallest things. We worry about what people would think about us, we worry about failing or we worry about not doing it right and so and on. And the worst thing we are doing here is doubting our capabilities and potential. ‘No’, ‘can’t’ and ‘don’t know’ are words which we find at the tip of our tongues and they define us to some extent. This is indeed, disappointing. 

As adults we stop trying new things or taking challenges. We stick to the familiar things. We stop exploring and being curious. We stop testing our potential. We stay stuck in our comfort zone like a stick in the mud. In short, our life becomes dull and boring with no variety in it. To top it all, we fail the challenges life brings our way. 

It’s time to stop being cowards. Life is a challenge, it is not always easy. It has ups and downs. It brings sunshine as well as rain. Be prepared to take everything it has to offer, the beauty and the ugliness, the happiness and the sorrows, the victories and failures. Don’t expect it to be forever smooth because it won’t be. It is your ability to overcome the challenges and obstacles which reveal your true self. You are victorious when you defeat your fears, destroy the hurdles standing in your way to success, do whatever it takes to fulfill your dreams. You are an ACHIEVER if you can make your dreams a reality, you are a HERO if you can fight the battles of life with courage, and you are a WINNER if you can run till you reach the finishing line. 

Get up every time you fall. Be like a kid. Believe in yourself. Never let failures stand between you and your dreams. You have everything that it takes to win, to be happy and to be successful. You can do it! Most importantly life is beautiful, enjoy it!

“Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” Joshua J. Marine