In the chaos of life, it’s all too easy to overlook the beauty and simple joys that surround us each day. We rush from pillar to post, often forgetting to pause. There is a need to look for and appreciate the little instances of happiness in our daily lives. These small moments hold immense power and are capable of sparking meaningful conversations, prompting reflection, and deepening connections.
Modern Love
“Ruko-Ruko-Ruko…arre didi zara bacche ko pakdengi kya?”
A woman shouted from the other side of the road at me at a zebra crossing in Delhi. I quickly grabbed the child by his hand and pulled him towards me. His struggle to get free from my hold earned me a bite and a few karate chops. While I was recovering from this, that woman appeared and saved me from her son. She apologised for her son’s brutal self-defence.
She then proceeded to hold her son. In a calm tone, she said,
“Beta, didi ko sorry bolo, vo bas aapko chot lagne se bacha rahi thi”.
I was really surprised to see how calmly she handled the situation. She did not scold him or threaten him with possible punishment in any way. She took the moment to connect with her child and help him calm down. This parent-child interaction was unlike anything I have experienced before. I come from a generation where being scolded or punished was normal. There was no room for conversation. This made me realise that parenting is changing. The current generation of parents are moving towards open communication, children’s autonomy and nurturing relationships. I came across this article about parenting (or maybe the algorithm threw it my way). I personally see merit in modern day parenting and its child-focused approach.
The Unexpected Phone Call
I woke up to an unusual ringing in my ears at 3a.m. in the morning. Irritated, alarmed and panicking all at the same time, I picked up my phone. It took me few moments to comprehend who was calling. It was my sister. Turns out she called me just to have a random chat and was utterly unapologetic about the timing. She started the conversation with, “Kya kar rahi ho aap? Itni der lagati hai kya phone uthane mein”. To which I snapped back, “Jagrata ho raha hai yaha, wahi pe hu”. You can only imagine the rage that flooded through my veins at that time. Despite it there was joy in that conversation and I realised how much I missed her.
I often failed to acknowledge that her unexpected calls, pointless conversations, updates, and family gossip were something I missed. All of us cherish the love hate relationship we have with our siblings. But in our fast-paced lives, we somehow fail to take the time out for people we love. An article How To Be Friends With Your Siblings, left me wondering. What changed in our relationships. Do we really need to learn the skill to befriend our siblings? Clearly, it should be something that comes from within. But I guess love and relationships take work.
A Stranger And A Song
I was walking across a bridge over lake Pichola in Udaipur one evening. I heard someone singing and decided to follow the direction of the voice. On the other side of the bridge, a guy with a guitar was singing in Spanish. There was a board next to him. I assumed he was raising money for travelling or hitchhiking. When I got closer I realised he was trying to support a local NGO working with rescued animals.
My initial assumption of the guitar guy turned out wrong. I felt guilty for jumping to the conclusion. It made me realise how often we weave stories about people whose stories we do not know. It works like an innate need to make sense of everyone and everything around us. What we forget is that in doing so we take away the chance from people to narrate their own tale. After he finished the song, he saw me standing there and we shared a gentle smile. After fifteen minutes of listening to “Si Tu Te Vas“, I finally decided to go. But the song stayed with me for a long time.
We Will Be Okay
My friend Harshad, stayed at my place in Kotra for few weeks. It was good to have some company and he often came along for the field visits. His grasp on Hindi was poor, so most of the time he couldn’t understand what community members were saying. So he relied on their gestures and my free translator services. I asked Harshad to tag along for a Gram Sabha meeting at a remote village. My colleague Ramesh sir was also with me and he and Harshad were already friends by this point. The destination was 30km from Kotra and somewhere midway our bike had a flat tire. We were stuck without phone reception and no sight of anyone who could help. I was scared and my impatience was starting to get to me.
We started to walk in the hope we would find someone who could help. My friend spotted a water body and we proceeded in that direction. There were women washing clothes and children taking turns to push each other into the water. Ramesh Sir and I decided to ask the women for help. All this while, Harshad decided to jump in the water with the kids. By the time we managed to figure something out, Harshad was already knee deep into fishing with the kids.
When I told my friend that help is on the way he said, “I knew we will be okay”. Later, Ramesh sir also decided to join Harshad. I stood their thinking to myself, it really doesn’t take much to find beauty in the little things in life.
The act of finding peace and joy in the everyday chaos can offer an opportunity to pause and reconnect with ourselves. In doing so, we gain valuable insights into our thoughts, feelings, and values, thus laying the groundwork for more meaningful interactions with others. If this article pushed you to cherish the little moments, please read my co-fellow Mahema’s blog “Are We Only Talking?” She inspired me to reflect upon my own little moments of joy.
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