Little pleasures of life

Have you ever had an experience which your mind cannot understand or figure out but in your heart, you feel a connection, and it forces your mind into believing it without the need for a reason? In our busy and hectic life we don’t even have the time to notice the little things that happen around us, let alone give them a thought.

In the recent past I’ve had my share of such events, and their consistency makes me wonder of their existence. Why are they happening so often? Is it because I need them, to understand something? Is it because nowadays I’m in a constant state of worry, or irritation that nature is trying it’s best to make me smile?  Or is it that they were always there, ready to be experienced, but I didn’t see and value them?

Whatever the reason, I’d like to share a couple of moments with you and my thoughts on them.

Once, there was heavy traffic at the Jubilee hills check post. You had to easily wait for about three signals to get through. I was irritated.  My mind was preoccupied and I was angry with this guy for not responding to my emails. While I was busy sulking, a scooter with a young family came and stopped by my car. A little boy, about a year or two years old, was nicely tucked in his mom’s lap and looking around, observing the traffic.  It was a hot day and you could see the pollution in the air. His wandering eyes caught my attention and I stared at him for a good 10 to 15 seconds, wondering what must be going on in his little mind.

He caught me staring at him. And the next thing I know, he was smiling at me as though we knew each other. I couldn’t help but smile back! And this made him smile even more!! His parents, completely oblivious to what was going on continued to look at the signal lights. I started making faces, popping my eyes out and doing all sorts of things that made him chuckle and laugh. Twenty seconds into it, I realised I was being stared and smiled at by a couple of motorists who were by my side. I noticed, and immediately was my presentable self again. The boy stopped laughing.

Then I realised that I was being such a jerk. So what if they stared. The kid stared at me initially and I smiled at him, which made him smile back. So, why not at these big boys? So without thinking further and weighing the outcomes of my action, I smiled at them.  And to my surprise they smiled back! And soon I got back to entertaining the little fellow, because it was he who I was interested in, not them.  But they seemed to enjoy the impromptu show too.

In a few seconds, the traffic started to move. All of a sudden I hoped that the signal was a little longer. Dumb life! You never get what you ask for! But I had already gotten 5 minutes away from my worries and I wasn’t in a bad mood as I was before. So I immediately made peace with the situation and waved goodbye to kid and he waved back with equal enthusiasm.  And now, all I could think of was that little cutie, his expressive eyes, his beautiful smile complimented by a perfect set of teeth. I just couldn’t seem to remember what I was worried about or angry at, and that the traffic bothered me with idiot drivers swishing past you, which makes you want to lower you glass and give them a piece of your mind. All I knew was I was feeling so good. I was feeling happy and felt the need to smile throughout the drive to Inorbit mall.  I was getting late, but I didn’t care anymore.

There was this other time when me and my girlfriends had time on our hands but didn’t know what to do. We had just finished lunch, but we wanted to go out somewhere, somewhere in the open because the weather was perfect! So we decided to go to Duragam cheruvu at Jubilee hills and just sit and chat for a while. After spending about an hour there, going down to the lake and then coming back up those never ending stairs, we decided it was time to leave.

And slowly as our convoy of cars distributed itself and went its own way, me and Disha were still standing by our cars and talking. As we were talking and discussing about something, we saw a dog coming towards us. Now both Disha and I are dog people, but she is not a fan of stray dogs. I don’t get bothered or scared by stray dogs but I do keep my distance. Now this dog was not charging towards us, but coming slowly and definitely to us, however bizarre that sounds. I was a little uncomfortable and little worried but Disha was freaking out. And what is the best thing you do in fear? Freeze. We both stood there and she(she had just had her pups)  sniffed around a bit, near our feet. Disha was making her fear more explicit but I was surprisingly calm. I guess it was because I was sure that she would not bite us. There was no way that was happening! No animal comes out of nowhere and chooses it’s human to chew onto. And before I knew it, the dog raises her right paw and puts it onto my palm!!

I was shell shocked and didn’t  know how to react.

Disha, by now, had lost it and had started screaming, “Avi!! What the hell are you doing?” I replied, “What am I doing?!! I’m not doing anything!!” Both of us were staring at the dog with are eyes popping out and were unable to believe what was going on.

I guess the dog got tired of resting her right paw on my palm so she decides to put it down only to replace it with her left paw! By now, I was totally blank and unable to process what was going on but was fully cooperating with the dog. I didn’t know what else to do! Disha by now had calmed down and two minutes later I found myself sitting and petting the dog. She seemed to enjoy it but was also aware that Disha was not touching her. She tried hard to get Disha to pet her, but Disha was too scared. After spending around 15 to 20 minutes with our new, “forced” but adorable friend, it was time to go.

Obviously this didn’t go down too well with our friend, and she started to come on to us with full force. A little petting and a little more running towards our respective cars did the trick.  I would have loved to offer her the seat in my car and the entire back seat to her little ones(who were safely hidden somewhere I’m assuming) and drive her home! But, my mind had started doing its job and advised me and my heart to keep my feeling under control. I managed to capture that day in a picture and every time I see it, it brings back those lovely memories.

It was a day I will never forget! Never! It makes me want to wonder that maybe our souls had some connection. Maybe they knew each other from another life. Whatever the reason, I don’t want to question it. It was one of those moments in my life when you know the best things in the world are to be felt, not to reason with their existence. They are a little scary but once you get past your fears, which are a result of your mind which is unable to give reason and judge the situation, your heart feels things it has never felt before. Its worth the risk.

So, life is full of surprises. Some are big, it’s hard to see through them and some are small, it’s difficult to see and acknowledge them. Both have their impact on our lives. The bigger ones can go both ways, good and bad.  But the little ones, if you care to notice them and find a little moment of happiness in them, you’ll have more reasons to smile every day.   So find your little pleasures, they are happening all around you, waiting to be experienced.