This evening, the spouse returned from a work-related three-day trip to Bangalore. Joy and jubilation all around, because the kids had been missing him madly. (Yester-night, the copy-kitten, my younger daughter, had jumped when the doorbell rang, shouting "Baba is back" in the face of the surprised andawalla - person who sells eggs door-to-door - so badly was she missing her father).
The spouse gave her and her elder sister, Lil Cat, the freshen-up tissues given on flights. Their smiles could've lit up the runway. They opened the small grey packets with whoops of joy, smelt the fragrance like connoisseurs, ooh-ing and aah-ing, wiped their darling faces many many times, stuck the wet tissues on the mirror as part of a "magic trick" and fell blissfully asleep with the near-dry and crumpled tissues under their pillows, perfuming their dreams and wafting in their sighs.
When was the last time such a small thing made me so ecstatically happy? I guess childhood is all about finding joy in the newness of experiences. But when we begin to put a material value to happiness, we lose that innocence, and childhood slips through the very fingers we use to count the costs of pleasure.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
HAPPINESS IS ...A WET TISSUE
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11 comments:
What a wonderful post. If only we could go through life looking at the world through the eyes of children. If only. And I guess there is nothing stopping us doing so a litle more anyway.
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For those of us who still cant get over the wonders of flying, these are special things. My daughter still rummages through stuff when her father gets home from such a trip, and YES, the tissues are still a great draw.
I remember when I was around 8 or 10 , my brother flew from Pune to Mumbai (I forget why), and the biggest excitement and jealousy was on hearing that the air hostess appeared with an ENTIRE TRAY of chocolates before him right at the beginning; and he had the temerity to show it through the window. (It didnt help that in those days you could go close to the plane...)
Why is is always us girls who have these highs and lows over such wonderful things !:-)
Little joys are the best - and they're the ones that stay with you.
I remember my mother made special little cakes I loved when I was only just tall enough to see over the table when seated. Problem was, just before the meal I became ill with a tummy wog and was only to eat special soft food. Sadness was the word.
But my Dad said 'I'm sure she'll be okay - let her have one anyway.'
That was the best cake I'd ever tasted - and I was fine. That was 65 years ago!
June in Oz
You are right Sucharita, we lose our ability to get excited and be hapy with small things, actually they are gestures of love and affaction.
The other extreme is Ambanis buying so expensive gifts for their wives!
You have captured a beautiful moment.
"Simple joys of childhood" grow up and get called "cheap thrills" at times.
thats such a sweet post...you spoke about the children missing baba so well...what about you??
Extremely well written. Succint and crunchy.
The best times I have everyday is when I go gay abandon and laugh like a child. And when I laugh, I get present to the fact that I am laughing and enjoying, and these are hilarious moments.
In the land of over-abundance my heart melts when my li'l ones find pure joy finding a shiny rock or wild berries or pine cones.
Hi lily, Uk, june, lopa, NSIyer, Vivek, scatterbrain, pinku,
Wordsworth said it best when he said that when we are born we come "trailing clouds of glory" from our heavenly home, and that special vision of the child is gradually lost as we grow up.
In lighter vein:
I once heard a consultant talk about 'Change management'. He said that the only person who is happy with change immediately is a wet baby!
Vivek
Hi Vivek,
I can only add - the person who would dislike change is the one who has to constantly change that wet baby.
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