Today as I watched the news
on the reports of devastated Nepal post the earthquake, the reporter focussed
on Koirala , a village in Nepal that has been completely wiped off. He
interviewed a lady who makes a living through farming and manages to save 3,000
– 4,000 rupees per month. Her house has to be built from scratch which will
easily cost her around 2 Lakh rupees . But all along the interview, she had
this smile on her face and the reporter could not resist asking how she was
managing to smile through all this? She replied again with a
broader smile “do you think if I cry I will get back my house?”
This woman had just taught
me the true meaning of staying positive! Last year it was the Jammu floods,
this year it is the earthquake and in each of these tragedies there have been
stories which have moved many of us. It made me realise that while there are
people struggling to get back to normal life in Nepal, some of us are still cribbing
about the summer heat, the malfunctioning of the office AC, the power cuts, poor
customer service of a cable operator and so on.
What if I choose not to
crib? Last week there was a power shut down from 12.30 in the night, due to a
cable fault and I was rudely woken up by a sweaty me at 4 am! Obviously
the inverter had drained out and there was no power for the fan to run on.
Feeling quite groggy , I consciously decided not to crib about the situation
and opened all the windows , waved a newspaper back and forth to get some
artificial breeze help me go back to sleep. Before I knew it I had dozed off because
there was this gentle breeze which kept surrounding me and cuddled me back to
sleep. When I woke up at 6.45, I felt refreshed with the experience of having
enjoyed nature’s abundance. I not only felt lighter but a strange sense of calm
descended on me and it was as if I was thanking myself for not cribbing. I
was also struck with the reality that I don't always need the comfort of an air
conditioner to go to sleep.
What if I choose not to
indulge in blame game? The other day I was pleasantly surprised when a good
friend of mine emphatically told me that I should stop blaming all my lethargy
and lack of concentration on Menopause! She chided me for this deep routed
thinking of mine and sternly told me, “Menopause is just physical, the rest is
all in your mind!” So true! How stupid and convenient of me to have put all the
blame on the Monster M! There will be good days and there will be bad days but
to blame all the bad days on Monster M from now on is a no-no. In fact, I have
taken recourse to yoga classes to learn to help improve my concentration with
simple improved breathing techniques.
Which brings me to the
simple revelation that no one recipe fits everyone ! We all have to find our
own rainbow which, when discovered, will make us feel all bright and cheerful!
I think I might have just found my rainbow by simply being true to my
feelings and accepting myself the way I am with my silly faults and happy,
cheerful soul!
