philosophical me is back again

As I sit watching kids whisk by me in my mother's school, small things make me wonder about the sweetness of childhood. The carefree jubliation on not being caught in a game of pakdam pakdai, the innocent cartwheels on escaping being the `denner' in the game; the aping of filmi dances in a bid to attract the attention of fellow classmates and on a more subconscious level to hasten the gap between childhood and adoloscence. The reckless comments on any bystander; a private joke cracked and laughed heartily at. Eyeing a fresh intrusion to the group with suspicious and the very next minute cheekily extending the hand of friendship. The trivial fights over who's cheating in a game of book cricket; the silences; the katti and then the gradual thawing towards one another in the lunch break. Wish relationships were as simple as when they were when we were children. If only adults didn't leave behind the sweet fragrance of childhood to pur on a mask of logic and reason. Because sometimes the most spontaneous, unreasonable and logically absurd things are the ones that add a silver lining to life.

......

funnyyyy

Visits to the doc are often not much fun, are they? The smell of disinfectants, the sombre mood and the grim looking nurses...can get quite scary. But sometimes it is possible to find a little bit of amusement in these very solemn situations as well.

Just yesterday I too my companion to the doc...all those well versed with Harry Potter would know what happens when a dementor happens to be around. Well, that is exactly the feeling I got the minute I stepped into the hospital. I could literally see wisps of happiness floating out of me and bidding me good bye.

However I went on bravely and entered the doctor's cabin to find a pudgy man eyeing both of us with his beady eyes. He prodded my companion on his back and closed his eyes in serious contemplation.

We almost leant forward in anticipation waiting for the esteemed gentleman to utter the holy words. But all that we got was a prolonged "hmmmm"

Sinking back into our seats again, we waited breathlessly for some sign of coversation. He opened his mouth again to say something....our hearts raced waiting for words of wisdom....but once again dissapointment. Finally the gentleman opened his eyes and said quietly "X-Ray" And with that we were bundled out of the room and led to the lab.

And before you could say "doctor" we were back again in his cabin, seated in the same seats waiting with even more anticipation. His gaze fluttered from the X-Ray to my companion and back and then back again as if trying to make a connection between the pic of the spine and the man. Finally assuring himself that the spine indeed looked like it belonged to the person seated in front of him, he closed his eyes once again and we had lost him once again to the maze of his thoughts. But just then one more pearl emerged from the deep recesses of his throat, "Blood Test". Like waiting for a judgement we kept hankering for some more information, but all we got was "Come back on Saturday". We were ushered out of the room, no more wiser about the thing ailing my companion than we were when we had entered the cabin.

Stop boasting

"Our city has the best cuisine in the entire world, it is the epitome of cleanlines, the people are soooo hospitable," is how one of my acquaintances would ramble on everytime we would meet. It's annoying when you know some one is faffing and you can't do anything about it but down a zillion espressos to wipe out the dazed expressions from your face.

One day it just got on my nerves to an extent that I realised that I had to do something about this. I decided to reply back in the only way I know_by telling a story, This is what I wrote and I hope that it drove home the point:
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There was once a beautiful valley dotted with trees. Unfortunately in winters, the entire flock of birds would leave this paradise behind and head to a warm summery place to forget the harsh pains of cold. But, one mother bird forgot a little egg in the nest. When the egg finally hatched, the tiny birdie couldn't find any of its brethren near by. Since it had never known what its kin looked like and couldn't find any of its kind in the valley, it thought it must be one of a kind. It made friends with insects and foal to drive away its loneliness. Slowly as youth dawned upon him, his wings began to soar around him. Gradually his instincts guided him towards the right way to carve his path into the sky. The fact that he was a special child slowly became a matter of pride and fromn then onwards arrogance. He thought no one could fly higher than him or preen feathers better than him.

Then winter ended and summer followed. The flock of birds returned, soariing high with their well-warmed wings. The birdie was shocked..his illusion was broken. Neither was he the only one of his kind nor did he fly at the greatest height. Sporting a bruised ego, he sought to go to a place where he could hide his face. As he made his way out of the valley, a cuckoo stopped him. "Son...do you not remember me. I am your mother. I missed you so much, and am really sorry that I left you behind. But where are you heading to?" He told her the entire story. She laughed.."Of course you are special and one of a kind. Everyone is different from within, it doesn't matter what you look like..but the way you think. And you have to realise what you can do best. Others can fly, others can preen..but dear little son..you can sing. Wwhat is a cuckoo without a voice!" she explained.

The herd of cuckoos gathered around their newfound member and told him, "You must realise your own uniqueness and with that also realise that there is something in others that makes them unique as well. You may have one gift, the others may have a different one. You don't need to shout from the treetops anbout it, because if you are good, others will realise it. Remember modesty and self realisation are the key to a peaceful life!"