People generally get fed up with their mundane lives, and long for something new, somewhere new. But most often they do not realize that what they are searching for is quite near them, if only they had the eyes to look for it. There is a small 8 lined poem by Rabindranath Tagore which states
“After travelling a long distance, for a long time, seeing a lot of countries, having spent a lot in the process, I have gone to see the mountains, I have gone to see the sea. But what I haven’t seen, 2 steps from my home, one drop of dew on one leaf of grass”
For people who can understand here’s the Bengali version
“Bahu din dhore,bahu crosh dure
Bahu baye kori, bahu desh ghure,
Dekhite giyachi porbotmala,
Dekhite giyachi shindhu
Dakha hoe nai chokkhu melia
Ghor hote shudhu dui pa felia
Ekti dhaner shisher upor
Ekti shishir bindu”
I appreciate this thought. Really how many of us notice the feeling of serenity that a blue sky brings us? Or does anyone try to feel the happiness on seeing a tree in bloom? All of us are generally becoming busier and busier day by day, and with the amount of work and the competition, we have been growing old immaturely. Stress and tension have been known to be the main reasons for that. But I feel, taking small moments off, might be 1 or 2 minutes a few times in the day, noticing something beautiful in nature, and feeling glad about it would help a lot about the mental well being of any person.
In college I used to feel a sense of homecoming on looking a tree with green waving leafs, looking as if it bowed down to welcome me back to my humble abode. Or as soon as I entered the gate, would get a glimpse of the blue sky with bright green leafs in contrast. Have you seen mall leafs emerging, soft and brown in colour, so vulnerable, at your mercy of you touch them, or as mentioned earlier, a drop of dew sparkling in the sunrays on a leaf of grass? Everything can bring a smile to the face, but only if we let it.
This is only about nature. Another thing which never fails to make me glad and thankful deep inside, is the fact that I have wonderful friends all around me, to share my happiness as well as sorrow if needed. So it is a choice each of us makes individually. Do we stay optimistic and smile with the sunshine, or do we grumble at the sun and heat? Do we create happiness for us and others by being like a prism giving rise to a rainbow, or do we become like dementors sucking joy and happiness from whoever we come in contact with? What would you prefer to do?
