It was a few weeks ago when I was driving along a long stretch of empty road early in the morning, with my soon-to-be-two toddler P strapped in his car seat, making our way to his Montessori school. Little P was happily prattling to himself, sometimes pointing out wondrous creations like a firetruck or a school bus or even a digger, to his apparently ignorant Mummy..I was acknowledging his exclamations, making the appropriate responses, while at the forefront of my conscious mind, several thoughts were going on at once(Oh yes ! we women have been blessed with that capability...or do I mean cursed ?? How advantageous is it to have the ability to worry about several things simultaneously ??? But wait, before I launch into that thread, let me restrain myself...that will have to wait until another post !!)
Going back to that weekday morning, I was sorting out and thinking about several different topics..Important matters like trying to find a suitable job, keeping family members healthy, mundane matters like housekeeping, being in touch with friends, trying to deal with the guilt of keeping little P in school for several hours...you get the gist. It took me some time to realize that I was driving under near perfect conditions.The skies were clear, there were a few wispy clouds floating lazily, there were green fields on both sides of the road, there was hardly any traffic on the road and there was a sweet smell in the air...that of freshly cut green grass ! There is something so sweet and crisp about freshly cut grass, it always makes me smile and take a moment to just enjoy it.
And it just hit me all of a sudden that life could not be any simpler and more beautiful than at this moment: My loved ones and I were healthy and energetic, I was in no hurry to find a job and at the same time was certain that I would find something that liked very soon, Little P was adjusting well to school and was always a delight to his parents. The weather was great too ! There it was , my slice of heaven for the day !
I also realized that it was not too difficult to find such slices throughout the day, everyday ! Little things that lift my mood, moments that make me happy to be where I am, events that show that beauty and happiness can be found in the simplest of things, are all peeks into heaven, in my humble opinion.
A new bud on a flowering plant, dew drops on leaves early in the morning, flocks of birds against a clear blue sky, driving with the window rolled down and feeling the breeze on my face, seeing the unrestrained wonder and laughter on little P's face, finding myself with some extra time with no chores to do, having an uninterrupted chat with my best friend after a long time, teaching new thing to little P and then discovering that he is teaching the same thing to his father, finishing an edge-of-the-seat mystery novel,trying out a new recipe and having TH compliment it, hearing from a school friend after what seems like ages, receiving a nice comment on my blog; these are just a few of my favourite happy moments
We don't need to have the biggest houses, the latest car model, the most number of jewels and clothes, the most intelligent and gifted kids. We don't need to worry about money (it will always keep changing hands), about housekeeping (its a never-ending chore !), about the grades that our kids make (just ensure that they give their best effort and accept it at that). I mean these are all nice things to have...I wont deny it..but they are not necessary to enjoy life :-)
All we need to do is just honestly see what it is that gives us peace of mind and fills us with unconditional joy and then realize that it is already available to us in our life, in one form or the other !
So here's to our efforts to make our lives simpler, happier and clutter-free !
Hope you find your slice of heaven today :-)
