When I was much younger, like many in that age, I
went through a major disappointment following a certain incident. Knowing not
what else to do other than lie aimlessly on my bed for hours, I agreed to a
prefixed schedule of going to my village. I never used to visit my village since
I believed I had all that I needed here in the city I lived in. Nothing attracted me elsewhere. So my decision came as a matter of delight for my parents
particularly my father who always encouraged me to stay connected with the
place my ancestors had built and lived in for decades. I went the same day.
The next morning my cousin forced me out of bed at
five and dragged me to the fields. But he didn't have to pull me for much long.
Once I reached the dense fields something amazing caught hold of my will. It
was in the lap of nature that I found something remarkably life saving. Believe
me. I was feeling so hopeless that I had begun to show symptoms of rejecting
life itself in that early age. But once I walked the fields on my bare feet and
and reached its heart, I forgot everything. I saw the mist soaked sun which
filled my spirit with unparalleled tenderness and I was pampered by the breeze
of 'Baitarani' and the mud under my feet permeated some medicinal magic into my
system. I plucked a wild marigold and held it close to my face, vicariously
absorbing all its wisdom. I randomly gathered leaves and rubbed them turning my
palm green and earthen. The birds had a strangely high state of courage for
they alighted so near to me that I felt like I had always been a part of that
greenery, their undiluted habitat. I was touched by their instant approval of
me. I felt belonged. The haunting sense of abandonment went away amidst the
thousands of leaves and hundreds of butterflies and birds and tiny innocent
insects which nibbled at the soft dirt for food.
Something revived in me. Something which never
seemed to have even existed before. A throbbing sense of faith and contentment.
Even when I closed my eyes I could see brightness all around. Maybe I could see
that brightness because of what had illuminated within me by that experience.
Everything felt in place. Including me. Everything made sense. The moment felt
nothing short of divine.
Nature has this thing. It can caress you and while
so doing it can cleverly plant a sense of resilience. It can prepare us to face
the most difficult times like nothing can. Isn't it sort of a dependable scheme
that the troubles of life be taken care of by nature itself. Its lasting
effects can delight us with what every man is entitled to enjoy by virtue of
his existence in this world. We often tend to forget that. Maybe because we have
given ourselves up to our concrete confinements. We have perhaps forgotten
where we really come from in our madness to reach places reaching where may not
necessarily matter.
I woke up early today after months and saw that
softer sun and those birds and insects and walked bare feet on my garden. I
resigned myself from anything contrary. And I found myself after a long long
time. I saw myself. Like no mirror can show. I breathed life itself.
A moment like this can turn things around in ways we
cannot imagine. Take my word for that.
Nature can connect us to our roots and can change our mood & outlook.
ReplyDeleteSo nice when we get to experience such bliss.
Well expressed, Anupam :)
Exactly Anita. Thanks for dropping by and expressing yourself.
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