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.’