Little Joys Of Life | Flash Post 416

Button, what gives you joy?

Umm…

Quickly. What’s the first thing that comes to mind?

That tight hug from you every morning and the peck on my nose. What about you?

When I wake up at around 7 each morning, see the time through half-opened eyes and wrap the soft dohar tightly around myself and figure I can pleasure myself with a good two more hours of sleep.  That wry grin on my face says it all, I think.

It’s strange how the small things of life give us joy.

Though the pandemic has brought our lives crashing down, it has also given us the opportunity to take note of the little things we would not have otherwise noticed.

Most times, I hear members of this family crib about not being able to go to work or go out for a meal or catch a movie or travel to new countries and complain about the perils of being held prisoners in their own home. Earlier it was all about not getting enough time to spend with the family, not getting enough sleep or the fact that one had to work overtime to give the family a certain quality of life. Humans, by nature, are cribbers. When they have something good, there is no appreciation but crib about what they don’t have.

Those who read this post will wonder if we are living in La La Land at the time of a pandemic. They’ll wonder why we are not bothered about lives that have been lost or the migrant issue or people who have no jobs or the crisis the economy is facing. The complete desolation we’ve been subjected to is worrisome to say the least because it has not only adversely impacted each one of us physically, emotionally, financially but toyed around with our mental health as well. But the question I am asking is that in the midst of that gloom, is it very wrong to also take note of the small things in life that give us some joy?

But of course. You can’t and shouldn’t dwell just worrying about the bad times you are facing currently. Those of us who are a little more fortunate have every right to find those thin cracks through which we can catch some light. Something that will assure us that bad times also pass.

The joy I get when I catch the lone bird whistling louder and louder to be heard amidst the cawing of crows and the cooing of pigeons is indescribable, unmistakable and unmissable. This is something I hadn’t heard prior to the pandemic in the cacophony of endless traffic sounds and the gush of everyday life. I share the music I played for myself earlier with Dost, now that the office is more or less shut, and he enjoys it thoroughly and we quiz each other about the song that the instrumentalist is playing, the name of the singer and sometimes even the composer. I have even taught him how to solve sudoku puzzles which he solves effortlessly these days. A few days back I watched in amazement as one of the traffic policeman at the crossing assisted an elderly couple cross the road. That simple act gave me joy.

Have you seen that exquisite tapestry the branches of the bougainvillea have woven because the gardener, apart from doing the regular ritual of watering the plants, has not been able to trim because he does not have enough labourers? I also watched the sun and the trees in the garden dance the waltz. For some weird reason, Chopin’s Spring Waltz was playing in the background.

That is exactly what I am trying to point out. I agree that labourers are jobless and in dire straits but the plants in the garden are thriving and have the freedom to grow wild for once. Seeing that gives me joy.

Anything you are missing out on that gave you a lot of joy prior to the pandemic?

The joy of visiting the city of my birth, Kolkata. The minute the aircraft touched the runway, the joy on my face is so palpable you can’t miss it. You know, of course, that Kolkata was given the name of The City of Joy by the French author, Dominique Lappiere.