Friday evening, sitting at the Bombay Airport, waiting to get back, after another week away from home. Multiple thoughts racing in my head, from the two meetings I missed, to the unfinished tasks of the week, to the fact that my maid is still missing, my dad’s toothache……….
As I look abstractedly around me, I see nothing different – men and women, young, middle aged, old, all lost in their own thoughts, many looking exhausted. Some on their phone, trying to finish that concall before boarding their flight, some on their laptop and some on their tab, while some are trying to catch up on their sleep.
Amidst all this, a small child, about a year old, wriggled out of her mothers arms and started running around, weaving between people, tugging at trousers and smiling at all and sundry. She was so excited, she would sprint, fall, giggle, get up, look around at all of us, smile radiantly at anyone who bothered to catch her eye, and start all over again!
Me, and many others around, came out of our own little worlds, and started watching her, smiling and connecting with her. I lost my heavy thoughts and lightened up, and could see the same on many faces around us. Some people exchanged smiles with each other too.
A few moments of pure, uncomplicated joy and celebration of life………… Something I feel many of us have forgotten in our busy schedules, so busy doing, so busy living, that we don’t find time to celebrate life, to enjoy the moment.
We were all once been like that little one year old – uncomplicated, unfettered by fears and doubts; Running, falling and getting up – enjoying the fall and the run equally; undisturbed by the fact that someone saw us fall, unworried about others laughing at us ……….. in fact, laughing at our own fall! Every face was a friendly face, and life was only NOW!
Time to bring that child back Usha……………
So very true. With the pressures and pulls of our daily life, we often forget to laugh and let ourselves go. We need to awaken the child in us.