Coin in the mud

…contd….

 

But, this thing wouldn’t happen henceforth. God bless the person who put stone in the path and which hurt him. He realized the truth. He would walk with head bent from that day onwards. 

He missed the blooming of flowers and the fall of leaves. 

 

He didn’t see the smiles of children nor did their laughter reach his ears. 

 

His whole concentration was only on finding the coins in the mud. His disappointment knew no bounds when he didn’t find any. He would come home irritated, vexed, feeling cheated and tired. His health started failing and suffering mounted.

 

One day he was sitting on the park bench, head bent heaving heavily. A kid came to him and said “uncle, look up, there’s rainbow up there” and started clapping hands. Our old man looked up to notice the rainbow. He had seen it after a long time. 

 

He smiled – after a long time. He found lots of kids clapping hands pointing at rainbow. He looked at their smiling faces and lost himself. When it was time for him to leave, he saw flowers in full bloom. His heart leapt up in joy. God, how much he had missed all these sights and sounds all these days – all for just Rs. 5/- coin. He laughed at his stupidity. How could he and why did he trade joy worth millions with that coin in mud?

 

From that day onwards, he started once again walking with head up and by enjoying the God’s creation. His health picked up and smile returned to his lips” she concluded the story and left us.

 

We were left dazzled. How stupid of us to stick to one experience and log on to that through every event of our life. ‘Everything changes’ applies to these insights and experiences too. “However good be an experience, enjoy it but move on” she had said so many times. And yet here we were stuck to one event and let that blind us to other insights and experiences which we could’ve had in the past few days.

 

Yes, it was good to have some good experience but to be stuck to it, awed by it was sheer stupidity. Move on should be our watch word and action word too!

 

I laughed at my dumbness and thanked her for waking me up to reality. Am I glad she’s there to give me these jolts?

 

We all looked at each other. This time we didn’t have to talk to each other to know what the other was thinking. We were all thinking the same. Let’s drop our past experience and move on and what better way than sit in meditation for that? And we all sat in meditation without exchanging another word.

 

We opened our eyes only to drink tea or have lunch. Not a word was spoken by anyone today. Strange yet it was comforting! We were ok with it.

 

And late night we left her place in silence…..for once we gained in silence. What we couldn’t say but she gave in silence too that we experienced today. We hardly spoke yet were more close than ever, more connected than ever. I think best communication happens in silence and I smiled at this thought as I walked in moonlight away from her place…….