When I look at my niece, Gowri, who is one-year-old, I always wonder how she can be so carefree and smiling all the time. The very next thought gave me an answer; her mind is crystal clear. So then, why can’t we adapt the same thinking as we age? Why do we lose this ability as we grow older? Although it is very difficult to keep our minds very clear, why can’t we at least try to minimize the complications in our lives?
All problems have a solution, provided we identify the parameters. My dad always tells me that we have to be prepared for the worst possible scenario.
On one sunny day, my parents, brother and I decided to visit our Tota (farm land) and planned to have lunch in our favorite restaurant. But before we left, I saw that my dad packing knifes, upma, curd rice....etc. I asked him whether we need all these as we had planned to eat outside but he ignored me and quietly started packing.
After an hour drive we reached our Tota. When we are tired from our routine we come here for relaxation. It is located near Tavarikere, which is 15 kms from Kengeri, Bangalore. When I stepped out of the vehicle, I could breathe in fresh air. The place was quiet and I could hear crickets singing while I watched bird formations over the vast farm. I could even see Marigold flowers glowing over an acre. I could stare at it like forever. It was beautiful!
We walked around for half an hour and then went to the guest house to freshen up. When we were ready to leave for the restaurant, it started to rain all of a sudden. It was raining so severely that it seemed to continue for the next 2 hours! At that point, it was already 2'o clock and we were all very hungry. My dad slowly started unpacking upma and curd rice and started cutting guavas. He looked at me and smiled. I then remembered his exact words “Be prepared for any situations”. Planning is one of the keys to a happy life.
Bruce lee says “Empty your mind. Be formless shapeless like WATER. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Be water my friend”. He means one should be able to adapt to any situation he/she is in.
My dad is a government employee, so we kept relocating from one place to another. From Mangalore- Panambur- Hassan- Mysore and finally settled in Bangalore. As I spent my high school years (which is considered to be the most memorable phase is everyone’s life) in Mysore it was and still is my heart and soul. After my 10th we had to move from Mysore to Bangalore. I was habituated with the simple way of living in Mysore and I was scared that I wouldn’t make any friends or find my way around my new college in Bangalore.
After first day of college, I came home crying and demanded that my parents take me back to Mysore. When they asked me why, I told them that I could not communicate with anyone as everyone spoke in English! I was scared to death that I would end up having no friends. My parents sat me down and asked me to be open minded and not to come to any conclusions instantly. And sure enough, after a few weeks, I started making new friends and I slowly started to pick up my communication skills. Few of my new friends even helped me out with correcting my English when I was wrong and today I can speak my heart out!
Moving from one place to another helped me discover myself and become more open minded. It also helped me build new connections and become more in tune with my gut instinct.
During my semester holidays, I was finding ways to spend my time more effectively. As I was walking one day, I found an organization named ‘BELAKU’ which means light. They nurture orphan girls. I went inside and talked to the girls and found out that the girls needed help in mathematics, so I decided to spend some time with them every day and teach them mathematics. I joined BELAKU as a teacher, but after a few weeks I realized that the girls were actually the ones playing the teacher and were teaching me morals of life. I was moved by their innocence, integrity and simple way of living.
Simple living is not living behind our dreams and desires; but it is living along with our dreams and working hard in achieving what we desire.
