When I Realized How Lucky I Am

When I realized how blessed I am….

On my way back home from an evening walk, it started raining, so I stopped by a juice shop for shelter, where I saw a girl of around 8 to 10 years in tattered clothes begging, but the shop keeper shooed her away. Moved at the sight, I called upon her and asked if she would like to have a glass of juice. To my delight, she readily agreed. I ordered two glasses of orange juice and sat with her at a corner table while the shopkeeper looked a little unhappy as that might not be liked by other customers. Overlooking him, I started talking to her when she told me that she stayed down the road on the footpath with her mother and a crippled brother. And that many times, they had to sleep empty stomach with a wet cloth wrapped around. Having known about her plight, I felt a lump in my throat choking me. Though after sometimes I left the place, my heavy heart was inflated with mixed emotions that forced me to reflect back upon my life. On one hand, I was sad for the plight of so many children like her, but on the other hand, I was feeling blessed. 

So often we forget to look at our lives and realize how lucky we are to have a home, a family, a job, food and above all a healthy body. We are so much used to focusing on what we don't have that we don't even notice us being more blessed than so many people. We grumble about our lives every moment; so much expense, unsatisfactory job, imperfect spouse, body not up to the mark, small house, car, children and thousand other things. Have we ever tried to find out what we have? There are so many people in the world who don't have a shelter to stay in, so many who don't get food at even one time a day. The world is full of examples of people who were well off once but lost everything in some disaster, may be natural or economical or any other. Life is so transient! So impermanent! For this, we crib so much! For this, we spoil our precious today!

Of late, many people came out on roads to go back to their home towns because of the lockdown. Are they not scared of death? Are they shielded against the virus? Do they think they're Superman or something? How can people be so irresponsible? Why don't they have a broader outlook on saving the country? All these questions spluttered in my mind like popcorns when I saw the news. But after speculating over the matter I discerned when only one day for any reason I don't get my food on time, I react so acutely showcasing all the unhappiness of the world, so what's the fault of this poor mob? It's their empty stomachs, the cries of their children, the sighs of their loved ones that compelled them to get exposed to this deadly virus. Do they've any other choice? They know either this way or that their end is near. Sitting in the safe confines of our AC rooms in front of the TV, where we get everything by home delivery, and commenting on their illiterate and irresponsible behavior is so convenient. But have we ever tried to put ourselves in their shoes? Have we ever peeped into the eyes of a mason, or a vegetable vendor, or a tea stall owner who lives hand to mouth and now his children have been hungry for days? Seeing all this around don't you think we are very LUCKY?

I think It's high time when we should change our perspectives, our ways of looking at our lives? Shall we not start being grateful for our TODAY that we are alive, getting food to eat, have a family by our side and more importantly a house that keeps us safe? When so many people are homeless, without food, without money, and seeing their kith and kin succumbing to death, we are safe. Husshh!! Cross our Fingers! There are so many what-ifs! Life is so unpredictable, tomorrow may not come in many people's lives. Tomorrow is inexistent. So why not start living our lives today? Why not live as if it's the last day? Why focus on what we don't have? Why not relish our blessedness? Let's ponder.

 Contentment is a hard to find virtue. Even Adam and Eve were devoid of it! When they were in the Eden Garden, Satan instigated them and eventually, they invited God's fury by disobeying Him. They were cursed to toil lifelong and death. Here, Satan is the embodiment of desire. Had Adam and Eve not listened to Satan and didn't doubt God, they would have been immortal and enjoyed Heaven. And that's what we are repeating! Having desires is the main cause of our misery, we forget to savor our PRESENT and its gifts and keep on struggling. If not physically we toil mentally by either dwelling in the past or working out for the future. Here, don't mistake me, I'm not saying that we shouldn't strive for better lives or do something that adds more quality to our lives, rather we should weigh our desires, see if it is costing our present and happiness. Let's not lose the one that we already have in the pursuit of something better. A bird in hand is better than two in the bush!!! So, let's practice contentment which in turn will give us happiness, and that's what our quest is all about. 

I remember the story of the Plague of Quail wherein every day God would shower manna(food) from Heaven to feed people who were staying in the desert, but they were not content and desired meat, infuriated God brought quails in from the sea and when the meat was still in their mouths it rotted and caused their deaths. Those people weren't grateful that God was tending to them in the crisis and kept on cribbing for better options and in turn doomed. Are we not doing the same? We're losing our beautiful blessed lives in the pursuit of something vague, something ambiguous!

So my friends, let's start embracing today, be grateful for what we have, for today is a PRESENT to us from God that everybody doesn't get. Let's affirm ourselves every morning and send a message to the universe that we are happy, content and grateful. The Universe works on the Law of Attraction. What we emit is what we attract! So emit positivity and happiness!! And get it back in return!!